One in three applicants to Dutch public research funder NWO are critical of the funder’s use of citation rates and publication frequency to assess the excellence of proposals.
A survey of 748 scientists who had applied for an NWO grant showed that 34 per cent were unhappy with the use of publications and citations as a measure of the quality of research. A total of 36 per cent of respondents thought the measure positive, while 30 per cent had a neutral view.
The survey found that scientists in the humanities and social sciences had a more critical view of citation rates as a marker of quality, with 46 per cent of respondents in this field feeling negative about appraising research in such a way.
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