Quantitative Assessments of the Physical and Mathematical Sciences A Summary of the Lessons Learned (1994) / Chapter Skim
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Summary of General Findings on Potential Indicators and Related Data
Summary of General Findings on Potential Indicators and Related Data
Pages 4-9
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From page 4... ...
SUMMARY OF GENERAL FINDINGS ON POTENTIAL INDICATORS AND RELATED DATA Credible, statistically derived indicators can be used as diagnostic tools to help determine certain aspects of the state of a discipline, to identify strengths and weaknesses, and to augment the factual basis for the conclusions and recommendations arising out of the assessment. Moreover, in the case of a repeat assessment there is the additional potential to quantify progress made since the previous assessment, provided that the scope remains the same.
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From page 5... ...
By far the most voluminous and widely available statistics for all disciplines are data on human resources, which provide us with information about various characteristics of the scientific work force. Human resources data have been used extensively by government and academia to track the student population from grade school through graduate school and to monitor a variety of characteristics of the professional work force.
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From page 6... ...
work forced · Same statistics as for number one above divided according to sex, race, age, and national origin/citizenship Quality of undergraduate and graduate students {indicative of input to the · Scores on standardized tests Selectivity of graduate institutions attended by those who plan careers in science, as indicated by grade point averages of incoming students, both overall and in a major Although these data can indicate important trends, even in such small and rapidly evolving fields as AMO science, they have several significant limitations generally shared by most of the other data reviewed in this study. There is a 1- to 3-year time lag in their application to answering questions about the current quantity of human resources.
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From page 7... ...
Funding of researchers and research activities · Government contracts and grants {award amounts and periods; success ratios in having proposals funded; subdiscipline categories; characterization of funded research as theory, experimentation, or observation; type of recipient institution; race, sex, and age of individual recipients; and new versus continuing programs) · Ratio of contracts to grants {grants are used more for basic research than for applied research)
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From page 8... ...
In contrast to the more easily quantifiable infrastructure or support factors head counts, dollar counts, pieces of equipment output or impact elements reflect the often unique characteristics of a field or a particular type of research. Most important, the relationship of inputs to outputs is difficult to establish accurately, especially with respect to basic research, where the time lines of ultimate impact are very long and the relationships obscured by numerous intervening factors.
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From page 9... ...
Prizes awarded to researchers (national comparisons) Invited papers at major international conferences or research at foreign laboratories Number of publications in highly cited journals of international scope S
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