Foreword: “Metrics of academic and social performance in the geosciences”

Abstract

Over the past five decades, the examination of science through metrics has transformed our comprehension of the influence, visibility, and prominence that a particular sub- ject area can offer to a research group or a multidisciplinary academic community that utilizes published content to ad- vance new scientific knowledge or remain informed. In ad- dition to traditional academic metrics, alternative metrics, or Altmetrics, assess the utilization of scientific content through widely disseminated social media platforms, thereby enhanc- ing the contemporary approach to analyzing and presenting scientific research—the principal objective of researchers when producing and disseminating their knowledge. Metric studies of science fulfill diverse objectives based on the interests of its practitioners and are intended to analyze the behavior of a subject by investigating its historical evolution, present level of advancement, or short- to medium-term developmental prospects. In this analysis, an increased num- ber of years and a wider variety of data will yield additional elements to elucidate a comprehensive spectrum of scientific trends across all disciplines. At present, bibliometric analyses of thematic content have been conducted across all disciplines; these analyses are extensively referenced by specialists aiming to discern trends in their respective fields, as well as by researchers from other domains who utilize them as analytical supplements to connect their areas of expertise with analogous or related ones, facilitating the establishment of multidisciplinary teams or the comparison of developmental trajectories.