Citation Counts [Letter to the Editor]

[FIRST PARAGRAPH] One measure by which the central funding agency for universities in the United Kingdom is seeking to assess appropriate levels of support for various disciplines is that of citation counts. The first subject area in which this has been applied is the earth sciences. A questionnaire sent to relevant academic departments included a request for information on citation or ‘impact’ counts, and forthcoming reviews of chemistry and physics may be expected to do the same. It is therefore appropriate that attention should be drawn to some of the dangers inherent in the use of this form of bibliometrics as a ‘research indicator’.