‘Science’ has always been evaluated. . . and will always be

Abstract

Science has always been evaluated and will always be. The reasons justifying evaluations and the methods used to carry them have varied over time in relation to the many transformations of the sciences over the last fifty years. The uses of bibliometric methods are not limited to ‘evaluations’ of scientists and their institutions as they also provide a unique way to map global trends. One cannot stop evaluating science, but one can use the right tools at the right scale (individuals, institutions, countries) to better understand the dynamic of scientific change.