The Rationality Of The Citation Index Database In The Application Of Domestic Subject Rankings

The pursuit of first-class discipline or scientific research is a new concept of the development of universities around the world,how to build a number of world-class universities,world-class disciplines has become an important direction of the development of Chinese higher education.We often use the citation index database as an evaluation tool,ESI database is one of the discipline ranking tools,we consider ESI top 1%universities and disciplines as "first class".however,our ESI database research has been passed to the ESI database meta evaluation for a long time.Only rational understanding of the ESI database can play its function and role to promote the construction of Chinese first-class disciplines,first-class university better.This study tries to study from two perspectives:the rationality of the citation index database and the rationality of the domestic application.In theory,starting from Max Weber's rationality theory,based on citation index function,rationality and limitation,analysis that the citation index database as application tool in the discipline ranking under the historical background of discipline construction of our country.In practice,combining with the case study of ESI database applied by Y University,this paper puts forward the problems and improvement strategies of applying citation index database in Universities in our country.From depth interviews of Y University "discipline office" teachers,we understand that the ESI database dependent in the InCites database in technology,resulting the calculation of the potential value is not accurate,and the cooperative authors did not distinguish between the contribution caused the "citation" repeated calculation.But from the substantive rationality,application personnel generally accepted the ESI database to promote the discipline construction,and the potential value of material science of Y university improved from 0.572 to 1.106,but the personnel analysis based on the statistical data not only obscures the unbalanced structure of discipline,also deliberately screen popular subjects and avoid the weak subjects of its own,it is anti-egalitarianism.From Y university to enhance the material science rankings even conceive of an independent division of material science from chemical engineering academy,Y university has been defined in ESI subject classification in the discourse system unable to extricate themselves.Through research,we found that main issues of citation index are:(1)based on classification to ranking makes paper homogeneity,the same journals quality homogeneity,subject homogeneity is inconsistent with the reality of the situation,it is not good for the development of the integration of disciplines;(2)cites makes the citation relationship homogeneity,namely citation relationship showed by cites the original document is difficult to distinguish the inevitable connection between the qualitative;(3)the absence of scientific research personnel;(4)the function have the order reversed;(5)citation anomie.To change the "for ranking to ranking" phenomenon,on the one hand,we should play the subjectivity of researchers to use citation index,believe researchers' academic rationality,on the other hand,establish citation norms constraint mechanism to limit domestic citation index database application behavior.Our distance in pursuit of quantity accumulation to excellence farther,application of citation index database in discipline ranking sees the development of subjects as operable has restricted university internal academic freedom,we should give subject development room.