If Robert Merton said it, it must be true: A citation analysis in the field of performance measurement

In: Evaluation: the international journal of theory, research and practice, Band 17, Heft 1, S. 7-19

Abstract

This article is inspired by the current attention paid to bibliometric methods in evaluating research relevance and impact. The logic behind the trend is examined by comparing highly and less cited publications in the same knowledge field (i.e. performance measurement) to see if and how they are different, especially in terms of research design and methods used. Findings indicate that various research designs and methods are equally represented among highly and less highly cited works, and that the only feature that does seem to play a role is if the cited author is an internationally renowned scholar. Findings also indicate an indiscriminate use of citation where the quality and relevance of secondary data are taken for granted. A vague hint of something, found in a single case study or inferred from a purely theoretical work, may thus over time and with more citations added become universal fact or even 'evidence'.