Virtual research universes and research management

Abstract

The analysis of large research production, such as universities, towns, cities or even countries, can be performed in several ways. These various approaches can range from the experts′ feeling to a more precise analysis of co-authors′ productivity. The various results obtained introduce the concept of ‘virtual research universes’ where the global perception of the production hides the sharp reality of objectives and subjects. The ability to apply the various methodologies and tools to make such analysis can reduce misunderstanding and misleading positions, especially in funding, planning and project evaluation. This paper takes as an example the production of physics laboratories in Marseille (from the INSPEC databae), and shows how the various levels of analysis can move from virtual to real research universes, thus helping the experts in their decision process.

We would like to thank Harry Rothman for his help during the realization of this paper

We would like to thank Harry Rothman for his help during the realization of this paper

Notes

We would like to thank Harry Rothman for his help during the realization of this paper