Science and technology development have become critical instruments in the public policy arena given their demonstrated impact on economic progress. As a consequence, a vast array of indicators for measuring and mapping scientific and technological activity, their progress and their outcomes, has been developed over recent decades (see for instance, the EU Commission, 2nd Report on S&T Indicators 1997). The majority of them relate to measuring and mapping the published journal and patent literature. The first part of this review paper focuses on a state-of-the-art overview of bibliometric indicators and their multiple uses in supporting the development of science and technology policy. The limitations and the pitfalls related to their use are also discussed.

The recent developments towards more systemic conceptualizations of innovation dynamics and related policies highlight the need for indicators that mirror the dynamics involved. In this contribution, we assess the role that 'non-patent references', found in patent documents, can play in this respect. After examining the occurrence of these references in the USPTO and EPO patent systems, their precise nature is delineated by means of a content analysis of two samples of nonpatent references (n=10,000). Our findings reveal that citations in patents allow developing nontrivial and robust indicators. The majority of all non-patent references are journal references, which provide ample possibilities for large-scale analyses focusing on the extent to which technological developments are situated within the vicinity of scientific knowledge. Application areas, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

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Science and technology development have become critical instruments in the public policy arena given their demonstrated impact on economic progress. As a consequence, a wide array of indicators for measuring and mapping scientific and technological activity, their progress and their outcomes, has been developed over recent decades (see for instance, European Commission, 2nd Report on S&T Indicators, 1997). The majority of these indicators relate to measuring and mapping the published journal and patent literature. In the second part of this review, we focus on a state-of-the-art overview of patent indicators and their multiple uses in supporting the development of science and technology policy. We also discuss the limitations and the pitfalls related to their use.