V.V. Nalimov and Russian scientometrics: the history and the present

1. V.V. Nalimov and Russian scientometrics: the history and the present • GranovskyYu.V., Drogalina J.A., Markova Ye.V. • Moscow State University • ZPCH@rambler.ru Nalimov - october 2013

2. Professor V.V. Nalimov (1910-1997) Nalimov - october 2013

3. Professor V.V. Nalimov (1910-1997)

4. A bit of V.V. Nalimov Biography • Father – Nalimov V.P., Ugro-Finnish by birth, ethnographer, a professor of anthropology in Moscow State University,maintained a wide range of interests in the sciences and humanities, died in the Gulag’s prison in 1939. • Mother – Nalimova N.I., a dedicated surgeon was mobilized to the Red Army in the Civil War, died working as a physician in a military hospital in the typhus epidemic in 1919. • In 1929-1931 V.V. Nalimov - a student of the Physical- Mathematical Department of Moscow State University. He did not graduate from the university due to the political conflict with Komsomol Organization of the Department. Nalimov - october 2013

5. A bit of V.V. Nalimov Biography • In 1931-1936 V.V. Nalimov worked at the All-Union Electro-Technical Institute and then at the Institute of Control and Measuring Devices, where he performed studies in the photoelectric effects. The first paper he published in 1933. In 1936 Nalimov was arrested and sentenced to five years imprisonment in GULAG. Only in 1953 he was released and returned to Moscow to join VINITY , the All–Union Institute for Scientific and Technical Information of the Academy of Sciences, as a branch editor of an abstract journal in physics. He wrote his first book “The application of Mathematical Statistics to Chemical Analysis”. Published in Russian in 1960, it appeared both in England and the US in 1963, translated into English. At that time he got interested in cybernetics, and in 1959 published his first scientometric article “Scientific and technical information as one of the tasks of cybernetics” (co-authors N.I. Styazhkin and G.E. Vleduts). Nalimov - october 2013

6. A bit of V.V. Nalimov Biography • The article put forward an original logical justification of the examined mathematical models for the growth of science. • In 1959 Nalimov got an appointment at the State Institute of Rare Metals, where he continued his investigations into mathematical statistics and the theory of experimental design along with a mathematical group he organized there. In 1965 he returned to Moscow State University to join the new Interfaculty Laboratory of Statistical Methods headed by the famous Soviet mathematician A.N. Kolmogorov. Awarded the title of professor , Nalimov held the Chair of Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics. Nalimov - october 2013

7. Along the Way of Scientometrics • In summer of 1966 in L’vov was held the Soviet-Polish Symposium, where V.V. Nalimov gave a talk on the mathematical modeling of processes in science. He was the one who coined the term «scientometrics» for the new scope of inquiry . The term has been adopted by the journal Scientometricsfounded in 1978 by Tibor Braun. Later this year Nalimov published the article Quantitative methodsof research in the science development, where he extended principles formulated in his earlier works. By that time V.V. Nalimov has already gathered around him an informal scientometrical group. Nalimov - october 2013

8. Along the Way of Scietometrics • By the close of 1967 the authors from the invisible college published a paper dealing with the study of journals as communication channels, and contributions of certain countries to the global information flow. It contained a precise description of the information model of science development, where journals were regarded as communication channels, and the system of bibliographic references as a special language of scientific information indicating the publication influence on the development of global information flows. Nalimov - october 2013

9. Along the Way of Scietometrics • The year 1969 was marked by the publication of the book: V.V. Nalimov, Z.M. Mulchenko:Scientometrics. The study of science as an information process.It was the first full monograph on quantitative methods for the study of science. This proved to be the theoretical foundation for the work of many other scholars studying the structure of scientific research.Its main subjects embraced science citation indices, information systems based on the language of bibliographic references and the study of internal relation in science based on the language of bibliographic references (the latter relates to the historical analysis of the development of scientific trends). Nalimov - october 2013

10. Along the Way of Scietometrics • There also discussed the study of the internal structure of a research front, the example of a detailed statistical analysis of a scientific trend, and logical analysis of the forecast problem. • Concluding remarks indicated the necessity of creating a special information center for the statistical study of science, being managed through the use of scientometric data. Nalimov - october 2013

11. Along the Way of Scietometrics • V.V. Nalimov went on with his research and in the beginning of … ? published several papers dealing with the comparison of science and biosphere, geographical distribution of scientific information and change in the requirement of intellectuals. • In 1980 he accepted the offer to become a Consulting Editor of the journal Scientometrics.In 1987Nalimov was awarded the biennial Derek de Solla Price medal conferred by the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal Scientometricsfor outstanding achievements in scientometrics. Nalimov - october 2013

12. V.V. Nalimov with the Derek J. De Solla Price Medal Nalimov - october 2013

13. Nalimov`s program of scientometrics’ development in Russia • 1) To set up an information center for regularscience development tracking(based on the statistical analysis of information streams) and scientometrics research co-ordination. • 2) To bring in themain subjects of the science of science on the higher school programs. • 3) To create the Russian Index of scientific citing. • 4) To set up the home scientometrics’ journal. • 5) To hold regular seminars and conferences on scientometrics. • 6) To estimate significance of home scientific issues on the base of scientometric rating.

14. Nalimov`s program of scientometrics’ development in Russia • 1) To set up an information center for regularscience development tracking(based on the statistical analysis of information streams) and scientometrics’research coordination. • Implementation: • About 40 organizations dealing with the science of science and scientometrics came into existence. But there never appeared a structure similar to the USA Institute for scientific information. Nalimov - october 2013

15. Nalimov`s program of scientometrics’ development in Russia • 2) To bring in themain subjects of science of science on the higher school programs. • Implementation: • The Russian Federation ministry of education and science recommended use of scientometric indicators for evaluation of organizations’ research activities. It naturally requires special training to promote the result. Nalimov - october 2013

16. Nalimov`s program of scientometrics’ development in Russia • 3) To create the Russian Index of scientific citing. • Implementation: This V.V. Nalimov’s proposal was realized only to some extent. The Russian SCI is being under creation since 2005. Now its citation information comes from publications out of more than 3500 Russian journals. Monographs, manuals, patents and theses are also included. Though the Web of Science database covers only 10% of Russian publications.

17. Nalimov`s program of scientometrics’ development in Russia • 4) To set up the home scientometrics’ journal. • Implementation: This journal has never appeared. Though scientometric articles were accepted by the journals concerned with the science of science, such ones as The Messenger of the Russian Academy Science and Higher School (launched in 1992), and the Russian academic journal Science of Science , (issued since 1999).

18. Nalimov`s program of scientometrics’ development in Russia • 5) To hold regular seminars and conferences on the problems of scientometrics. • Implementation: • There is one regular seminar on the science of science at the Institute of scientific information for social sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences. • In 2008 and 2010 there held conferences on the science of science problems, and the next one, scheduled on 2012, was never organized.

19. Nalimov`sprogram of scientometrics’ development in Russia • 6) To estimate significance of home scientific issues on the base of scientometric rating.

20. Derek de Solla Price and Vassily Nalimov in Moscow State University, 1971

24. Garfield Eu. 2011. Historiographic analysis of the impact of V.V. Nalimov on theoccasion of his 100th birthday. Василий Васильевич Налимов – математик и философ (к 100-летию со дня рождения). М.: МАКС Пресс, 391 с. • «In closing I would simply mention that Nalimov and I probably brushed shoulders when I visited VINITI in 1961 during the time of the International Congress of Biochemistry. George E. Vladutz was in the audience as well. Then when I returned to the Moscow Book Fair from 1965 to 1977 we were able to meet and talk. These discussions led to the translation and publication by ISI Press of four of his books. During those interim years I was able to help him find a huge range of books which he rapidly absorbed. • I think I took greater satisfaction in being able to do this for one of the few geniuses I have encountered in my lifetime» (p. 307).