A SURVEY OF ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH: A BASELINE FOR ASTRONOMICAL DEVELOPMENT
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Publication Details
Author list: Ribeiro VARM, Russo P, Cardenas-Avendano A
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Place: BRISTOL
Publication year: 2013
Journal: Astronomical Journal (0004-6256)
Journal acronym: ASTRON J
Volume number: 146
Issue number: 6
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 0004-6256
eISSN: 1538-3881
Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)
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Abstract
Measuring scientific development is a difficult task. Different metrics have been put forward to evaluate scientific development; in this paper we explore a metric that uses the number of peer-reviewed, and when available non-peer-reviewed, research articles as an indicator of development in the field of astronomy. We analyzed the available publication record, using the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory/NASA Astrophysics Database System, by country affiliation in the time span between 1950 and 2011 for countries with a gross national income of less than 14,365 USD in 2010. This represents 149 countries. We propose that this metric identifies countries in "astronomical development" with a culture of research publishing. We also propose that for a country to develop in astronomy, it should invest in outside expert visits, send its staff abroad to study, and establish a culture of scientific publishing. Furthermore, we propose that this paper may be used as a baseline to measure the success of major international projects, such as the International Year of Astronomy 2009.
Keywords
astronomical databases: miscellaneous, publications, bibliography, sociology of astronomy
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