Responsible Bibliometrics Needs to Start from Open Research Information: Opportunities for the Indian Research System
- 1Research on Research Institution
- 2Leiden University
Abstract
Bibliometric indicators play an important role in decision-making across research systems in many countries. If science policy and research assessment are to rely on these indicators, it is crucial to scrutinize the quality of the underlying data. While current research assessment reforms have rightly highlighted the limitations of bibliometric indicators, considerably less attention has been paid to the data infrastructures on which these indicators depend. This commentary argues that proprietary bibliographic databases, such as Web of Science and Scopus, raise fundamental concerns regarding transparency, reproducibility, inclusiveness, and affordability. These concerns are particularly relevant in the Indian context, where bibliometric indicators play a central role in research evaluation, university rankings, and funding decisions. We therefore argue that the data infrastructures underpinning bibliometric analyses require greater scrutiny. A transition towards open research information (ORI) offers a promising pathway for the Indian research system to develop more transparent, reproducible, and inclusive research evaluation systems that better support responsible evaluation and effective policy making. Proprietary databases are still the default choice in India. They are perceived to offer the highest quality data and they have an established familiarity and reputation among researchers and institutions. To transition to ORI, it is crucial to address these perceptions and barriers. Any lessons from the Indian research system in transitioning to ORI are likely to be of relevance also in many other research systems across the Global South.
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BibTeX
@misc{koley2026responsible,
title = {{Responsible Bibliometrics Needs to Start from Open Research Information: Opportunities for the Indian Research System}},
author = {Moumita Koley and Ludo Waltman},
howpublished = {Zenodo},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23656678},
url = {https://zenodo.org/records/23656678},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Responsible Bibliometrics Needs to Start from Open Research Information: Opportunities for the Indian Research System
AU - Moumita Koley
AU - Ludo Waltman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
PB - Zenodo
DO - 10.5281/zenodo.23656678
UR - https://zenodo.org/records/23656678
AB - Bibliometric indicators play an important role in decision-making across research systems in many countries. If science policy and research assessment are to rely on these indicators, it is crucial to scrutinize the quality of the underlying data. While current research assessment reforms have rightly highlighted the limitations of bibliometric indicators, considerably less attention has been paid to the data infrastructures on which these indicators depend. This commentary argues that proprietary bibliographic databases, such as Web of Science and Scopus, raise fundamental concerns regarding transparency, reproducibility, inclusiveness, and affordability. These concerns are particularly relevant in the Indian context, where bibliometric indicators play a central role in research evaluation, university rankings, and funding decisions. We therefore argue that the data infrastructures underpinning bibliometric analyses require greater scrutiny. A transition towards open research information (ORI) offers a promising pathway for the Indian research system to develop more transparent, reproducible, and inclusive research evaluation systems that better support responsible evaluation and effective policy making. Proprietary databases are still the default choice in India. They are perceived to offer the highest quality data and they have an established familiarity and reputation among researchers and institutions. To transition to ORI, it is crucial to address these perceptions and barriers. Any lessons from the Indian research system in transitioning to ORI are likely to be of relevance also in many other research systems across the Global South.
ER -