Metric comparison between Google Scholar and Research Gate for rated scientists in South Africa

Abstract

The successful promotion of an academic at an institution of higher learning is affected, to a large degree, by the publication record of the applicant. This record is usually updated in a resume, portfolio, or an online database, such as Google Scholar, Research Gate, or LinkedIn. The purpose of this article is to present a metric comparison between Google Scholar and Research Gate for rated scientists who are employed at universities of technology in South Africa. This may help to establish notable similarities or differences between rated scientists from specific universities and identify which platform they prefer to maintain their publication records. A snapshot quantitative study is used where the total number of citations, h-index values, and Research Gate scores were collected and analyzed. Results indicate that Research Gate has the highest number of authors present from the six universities of technology, with Google Scholar recording the highest number of h-index values for these authors. Only 134 out of the 181 (sample size) authors maintain their records on both databases. It is recommended that researchers in higher education use at least one online database to maintain a record of their publications, thereby enhancing the visibility of the research done at a university and enabling a more valid snapshot of the performance achieved by each researcher.