The Skyline Of Multidimensional Citation Impact For Academic Institution

The evaluation of the impact of academic institutions is one of the major topics in informetrics.In this paper,under the system of multi-dimensional citation analysis,we introduce a method to measure the multilevel impact for academic institutions from the perspective of distributive h-indices by applying the skyline operator to it.To some extent,the method has the features of avoiding the problems of single dimension,artificial weight setting and the scale effect,which conforms with the concept of diversification evaluation in the reform of the academic evaluation system,and also presents a synthesis of multi-dimensional citation analysis and sorting algorithms.Empirical studies with two sets of data of 100 academic institutions in cell biology and economics in Web of Science database give the hierarchy of the skyline of academic institutions in each field.Among the top-level skyline collections in the field of cell biology,University of California System is the most influential institution which holds the lead in the dimensions of institution,subject,and country/region,while Chinese Academy of Sciences has a wide influence at the author level.The skyline airspace in the field of economics is composed of University of London,National Bureau of Economic Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences,and Southwestern University of Finance and Economics China.From a two-dimensional perspective,University of London and University of California System are at the same level of the skyline,however,University of California System lags behind when it comes to four multiple dimensions because of the lack of compound influence and outstanding advantage in any angle.In terms of application,this paper introduces the skyline airspace formed by four citation dimensions,which returns to the original definition of skyline and can intuitively present the results.The top layer of skyline is uniquely inclusive and broad,which shows the dominant ability of the best institutions.As a result,the skyline measurement method can be applied widely in specific evaluation scenarios.To sum up,the measurement method given in this paper can identify the top institutions in the field and produce stable as well as reliable results by comparing internal advantages with respect to all attributes.The results of the skyline for academic intuitions can not only keep overall consistency with the traditional scientometric indicators,but also find out the institutions whose performance cannot be surpassed by others' in a certain dimension.Therefore,the skyline measurement method may provide an additional approach for distinguishing academic entity.