The Use of Citation Indices in Comparing Geography Programs: An Exploratory Study∗

Abstract

Citation information is discussed as a means for ranking the research and publication visibility of eleven graduate programs in geography. It is suggested that the ranks produced by this objective method correspond better to the peer‐based ranks of the 1982 NRC survey of graduate programs than those derived from publication counts. Citation information also provides a means of evaluating the differences between programs' inter‐ and intradisciplinary visibility.

Weavers of Influence: The Structure of Contemporary Geographic Research

“…It has been employed to rank the impact of journals (Wrigley, 1983;Whitehand, 1984;Turner, 1988), to measure crudely the prestige of departments (Turner and Meyer, 1985), to identify the most frequently referenced journal articles and books (Wrigley, 1985;Wrigley and Matthews, 1986;1987;Whitehand, 1990) and to assess the influence of individual researchers (Whitehand, 1985;Wrigley and Matthews, 1987).…”

A Ranking of Us Graduate Programs in Urban Studies and Urban Affairs

“…This approach is best represented by the study of doctorate programs in the U S sponsored by the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils (Jones, Lindzey, & Coggeshall, 1982). Alternatively, objective approaches provide program rankings derived from counts of faculty publications (Robey, 1979;Kau & Johnson, 1983) or citations of the faculty's published work (Roche & Smith, 1978;Davis & Papanek, 1984;Turner & Meyer, 1985;Blair, Cottle, & Wallace, 1986).…”

“…Critics of this approach argue that it is not clear what the peer ratings actually reflect. Given limited information, the rating may be more reflective of a reviewer's overall assessment of an institution (Bingham, et al, 1981) or the perceived quality of a program's more prominent scholars (Turner & Meyer, 1985).…”

Panoptic geographies: an examination of all U.S. geographic dissertations

“…Scholars have scanned the number of publications, grants, and other tangible products of the research faculty (Groop and Schaetzl ; Morill ; Koelsch ). Billie Lee Turner and William Meyer () compared the level of citation indices at major departments of geography. There has also been a look at the degree to which graduate programs in geography are successful in student placements (Liu and Zhan ).…”