I Am Not a Scientist, I Am a Number
2008
The Need for Unique Identifiers in Scientific Scholarship
publication
Author Information
Author(s): Philip E. Bourne, Lynn Fink
Primary Institution: University of California San Diego
Hypothesis
Can unique identifiers improve the tracking and measurement of scientific output?
Conclusion
Unique identifiers for authors could enhance the accuracy of tracking scholarly work and its impact.
Supporting Evidence
- Unique identifiers can help accurately map authors to their scholarly output.
- Current metrics for measuring scientific impact are inadequate and often misleading.
- OpenID and ResearcherID are examples of systems that could provide unique identifiers.
Takeaway
Scientists need a special number to keep track of all their work, just like how we have names. This way, it's easier to see what they've done.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in how contributions are measured and valued.
Limitations
Current systems for tracking scholarly output are incomplete and may not capture all contributions.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website