THE BIBLIOMETRIC ASSESSMENT OF UK SCIENTIFIC PERFORMANCE - A REPLY TO BRAUN, GLANZEL AND SCHUBERT

In 1987, an analysis of the CHI/NSF Science Literature Indicators Data-Base by the author and his colleagues suggested that the UK's percentage share of the world publication and citation totals had continued to fall over 1981-84, although at a slower rate than previously. That finding has recently been challenged by Braun, Glanzel and Schubert who, by combining 28 publication-based indicators, concluded that there was no statistically significant evidence for such a decline. This paper examines the reasons for the discrepancy. It is argued that the methodology of Braun et al. is seriously flawed, as well as being inconsistent with work that they have published elsewhere. By adopting a more consistent and realistic set of indicators and applying them to the data of Braun et al., one arrives at results entirely consistent with those derived from the CHI/NSF data-base.