No abstract

Universities and funders in many countries have been using Journal Impact Factor (JIF) as an indicator for research and grant assessment despite its controversial nature as a statistical representation of scientific quality. This study investigates how the changes of JIF over the years can affect its role in research evaluation and science management by using JIF data from annual Journal Citation Reports (JCR) to illustrate the changes. The descriptive statistics find out an increase in the median JIF for the top 50 journals in the JCR, from 29.300 in 2017 to 33.162 in 2019. Moreover, on average, elite journal families have up to 27 journals in the top 50. In the group of journals with a JIF of lower than 1, the proportion has shrunk by 14.53% in the 2015–2019 period. The findings suggest a potential ‘JIF bubble period’ that science policymaker, university, public fund managers, and other stakeholders should pay more attention to JIF as a criterion for quality assessment to ensure more efficient science management.

Universities and funders in many countries have been using Journal Impact Factor (JIF) as an indicator for research and grant assessment despite its controversial nature as a statistical representation of scientific quality. This study investigates how the changes of JIF over the years can affect its role in research evaluation and science management by using JIF data from annual Journal Citation Reports (JCR) to illustrate the changes. The descriptive statistics find out an increase in the median JIF for the top 50 journals in the JCR, from 29.300 in 2017 to 33.162 in 2019. Moreover, on average, elite journal families have up to 27 journals in the top 50. In the group of journals with a JIF of lower than 1, the proportion has shrunk by 14.53% in the 2015–2019 period. The findings suggest a potential ‘JIF bubble period’ that science policymaker, university, public fund managers, and other stakeholders should pay more attention to JIF as a criterion for quality assessment to ensure more efficient science management.

No abstract

The “German Festival 2017” was coordinated by the German General Consulate of Ho Chi Minh City. This event has been realized by different German hosts and supported by important German enterprises. Of course it was an occasion to illustrate and to transfer German ideas for Vietnam also concerning educational ideas in general and in particular for chemistry education. Scientific literacy is important for the future society. In this meaning it is necessary that conveying through education system and school needs to extend by public events. The project “German Festival” shows, in how far Chemistry Methodology can be taught at university. A “Didactics of Chemistry Methodology” must create possibilities for students to co-design didactical learning contents by their own knowledge, emotions, imaginations and meta theories. Individual insights will be developed by their experiences. This researching approach is successful. Knowledge of chemistry methodology will be acquired in a meaningful way. Cognitive conflicts between individual imaginations and experienced reality are learning impulses.