Modelling of bibliometric approaches and importance of output verification in research performance assessment

This paper presents a model describing the various possibilities in the application of bibliometric techniques in evaluation processes. The model distinguishes between the goals and functions of a bibliometric analysis, and clearly indicates the limits of the various bibliometric approaches. In the so-called top-down or bottom-up approaches, the importance of verification of publication material is indicated. Another important feature of the paper is the description of the problem of the interpretation of the relationship between on the one hand organizational structures, and on the other hand fields of science, in the light of the two main approaches in bibliometric studies. Finally the paper contains a number of case-study examples of the model described.