The Evaluation of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

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2. Towards an Epistemic Approach to Evaluation in SSH

   • Andrea Bonaccorsi

   Pages 1-29

3. Research Quality Criteria in SSH

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 31-31

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   2. Mapping the Role of the Book in Evaluation at the Individual and Department Level in Italian SSH. A Multisource Analysis

      • Chiara Faggiolani, Giovanni Solimine

      Pages 33-53

   3. Guidelines for Peer Review. A Survey of International Practices

      • Andrea Capaccioni, Giovanna Spina

      Pages 55-69

   4. Peer Review in Social Sciences and Humanities. Addressing the Interpretation of Quality Criteria

      • Andrea Bonaccorsi

      Pages 71-101

   5. Research Quality Evaluation: The Case of Legal Studies

      • Ginevra Peruginelli, Sebastiano Faro

      Pages 103-129

4. The Role of Books and Monographs in SSH Research and Their Evaluation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 131-131

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   2. More, Less or Better: The Problem of Evaluating Books in SSH Research

      • Geoffrey Williams, Antonella Basso, Ioana Galleron, Tiziana Lippiello

      Pages 133-158

   3. Research Quality Criteria in the Evaluation of Books

      • Carla Basili, Luca Lanzillo

      Pages 159-184

   4. Quality Evaluation of Online Library Catalogues, Advanced Discovery Tools and Linked Data Technologies

      • Maria Teresa Biagetti, Antonella Iacono, Antonella Trombone

      Pages 185-209

   5. A Survey on Legal Research Monograph Evaluation in Italy

      • Ginevra Peruginelli, Sebastiano Faro, Tommaso Agnoloni

      Pages 211-230

5. Journal Classification and Rating

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 231-231

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   2. Publication Strategies in SSH: Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications

      • Domenica Fioredistella Iezzi

      Pages 233-251

   3. Journal Ratings as Predictors of Article Quality in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: An Analysis Based on the Italian Research Evaluation Exercise

      • Andrea Bonaccorsi, Antonio Ferrara, Marco Malgarini

      Pages 253-267

6. Exploring New Indicators for the Multilevel Assessment of Research

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 269-269

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   2. Google Scholar as a Citation Database for Non-bibliometric Areas: The EVA Project Results

      • Alfio Ferrara, Stefano Montanelli, Stefano Verzillo

      Pages 271-293

   3. Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Google Scholar Indicators. The Case of Social Sciences in Italy

      • Ferruccio Biolcati-Rinaldi, Francesco Molteni, Silvia Salini

      Pages 295-319

   4. Is the Diffusion of Books in Library Holdings a Reliable Indicator in Research Assessment?

      • Maria Teresa Biagetti, Antonella Iacono, Antonella Trombone

      Pages 321-343

   5. The Social Impact Assessment in Social Sciences and Humanities: Methodological Issues from the Italian Experience

      • Luca Lanzillo

      Pages 345-359

This book examines very important issues in research evaluation in the Social Sciences and Humanities. It is based on recent experiences carried out in Italy (2011-2015) in the fields of research assessment, peer review, journal classification, and construction of indicators, and presents a systematic review of theoretical issues influencing the evaluation of Social Sciences and Humanities. Several chapters analyse original data made available through research assessment exercises. Other chapters are the result of dedicated and independent research carried out in 2014-2015 aimed at addressing some of the debated and open issues, for example in the evaluation of books, the use of Library Catalog Analysis or Google Scholar, the definition of research quality criteria on internationalization, as well as opening the way to innovative indicators. The book is therefore a timely and important contribution to the international debate. 

• Research in Social Science and Humanities
• Epistemic Theory of Evaluation in Social Sciences and Humanities
• Peer review in Social Sciences and Humanties
• Guideline Managing Peer Review
• Examining Data on Individual Research Products
• Research Quality Criteria
• Evaluation of Books in Social Sciences and Humanities
• Reliability and Quality of Online Library Catalogs
• Linked Data Technology in Catalog Data
• Evaluation Process and Books
• Role of Books in Research Practices of Humanities
• Role of Legal Monographs in France, UK and the Netherlands
• Role of Legal Monographs of Scholars of Italian Universities
• Validity and Robustness of Journal Rating
• Strategies for Journal Publication in SSH
• Scientific Societies and Journal Rating
• Potential of Indicators and Google Scholar
• Social Sciences and Humanities in Italy
• The Impact of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities

• DESTEC, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

  Andrea Bonaccorsi

Professor Bonaccorsi is an applied economist with a strong record of publications in the fields of economics of science, higher education, and quantitative research evaluation. He has pioneered the field of microdata on European higher education institutions (HEIs), started with the Aquameth and Eumida projects and culminated in the ETER platform, supported by Eurostat and DG EAC for the disaggregated analysis of individual HEIs in Europe.
He has been member of the RISE expert group, the leading group of economists supporting the European Commissioner for Research. He has been member of the Board of ANVUR in the period 2011-2015.

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