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Fewer numbers, better science

Nature volume 538, pages 453–455 (2016) Cite this article

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Scientific quality is hard to define, and numbers are easy to look at. But bibliometrics are warping science — encouraging quantity over quality. Leaders at two research institutions describe how they do things differently.

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References

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Timon McPhearson is visiting research scientist at the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies and associate professor of urban ecology at The New School in New York, USA.

  2. Susan Parnell is professor of geography at the African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

  3. David Simon is director of Mistra Urban Futures, Gothenburg, Sweden and professor of geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.

  4. Owen Gaffney is media director at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University and communications director at Future Earth, Sweden.

  5. Thomas Elmqvist is a professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden.

  6. Xuemei Bai is professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, and adjunct professor at Beijing Normal University, China.

  7. Debra Roberts is head of sustainable and resilient city initiatives in eThekwini Municipality, Durban, and Honorary Professor, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

  8. Aromar Revi is director of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), Bangalore, India.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rinze Benedictus is staff adviser at the University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands, and a PhD candidate at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.,

    Rinze Benedictus

  2. Frank Miedema is professor of immunology, and dean and vice-chairman of the executive board of the University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands. He is one of the founders of Science in Transition.,

    Frank Miedema

  3. Mark W. J. Ferguson is director-general of Science Foundation Ireland, and chief scientific adviser to the Government of Ireland.,

    Mark W. J. Ferguson

Authors
  1. Rinze Benedictus
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  2. Frank Miedema
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  3. Mark W. J. Ferguson
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Frank Miedema or Mark W. J. Ferguson.

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Benedictus, R., Miedema, F. & Ferguson, M. Fewer numbers, better science. Nature 538, 453–455 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/538453a

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