The rivalry between Bernini and Borromini from a scientometric perspective

From a historical point of view, Rome and especially the University of La Sapienza, are closely linked to two geniuses of Baroque art: Bernini and Borromini. In this study, we analyze their rivalry from a scientometric perspective. This study also serves as a basis for exploring which data sources may be appropriate for broad impact assessment of individuals. We pay special attention to encyclopaedias and other databases or types of publications that are not normally used for this purpose. The results show that some sources such as Wikipedia are not exploited according to the possibilities they offer, especially those related to different languages and cultures. Moreover, analyses are often reduced to a minimum number of indicators, which can distort the relevance of the outcome. Other sources normally not considered for this purpose, like JSTOR, PQDT, Google Scholar, etc. can provide more relevant or more abundant information than the typically used Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus. Finally, we also contrast opportunities and limitations of old and new (YouTube, Twitter) data sources (particularly the aspects quality and accuracy of the search methods). Much room for improvement has been identified in order to use data sources more accurately and efficiently.