European Union

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

María del Carmen Calatrava

Interdisciplinarity has become a major topic in discussions of higher education structures, knowledge production and research funding. The demand for criteria and tools for its evaluation is subsequently increasing. Interdisciplinary research can be evaluated according to its many different aspects—including collaboration, integration of disciplines, generation of new areas of research or solutions to complex problems (Wagner, et al., 2011)—using both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis.

Most quantitative measures of the output of interdisciplinary research rely on bibliometric methods. Such methods present two very important advantages: (1) they deliver an objective measure of interdisciplinarity, and (2) in combination with computational tools, large datasets can be analyzed in an effective manner. They are increasingly being used to inform policy in science and technology. A recent example is a review of interdisciplinary research conducted by Elsevier and commissioned by the UK higher education funding bodies and the Medical Research Council (Pan & Katrenko, 2015). In order to be accurately representative though, it is essential that interdisciplinary measurements are conducted with reliable indicators.

 

Citation analysis based on a taxonomy of disciplines

Since interdisciplinary research is often conceptualized as the integration of knowledge, one of the most common methods for its measurement is citation analysis, in which an exchange or integration among fields is captured via discipline-specific citations referring to other fields. In other words, a publication is considered interdisciplinary when it references the publications of more than one field. Such an approach requires a taxonomy of disciplines that classify publications into disciplinary fields (Leydesdorff, Carley, & Rafols, 2013; Porter & Rafols, 2009; Rafols, Leydesdorff, OHare, Nightingale, & Stirling, 2012). Although there is no consensus as to which is the best taxonomy (National Research Council, 2010; Rafols & Leydesdorff, 2009), the one utilized by Web of Science is the one most widely used (Bensman & Leydesdorff, 2009; Pudovkin & Garfield, 2002). The data for the analysis is gathered from Web of Science. This particularly convenient bibliographic resource provides three essential features: it indexes journals in different disciplines, it provides citation records for indexed publications, and it categorizes journals into disciplines within the taxonomy. Once the references of a publication are categorized into one or more disciplines of the taxonomy, its interdisciplinarity can be measured by calculating the number of referenced fields, their proportion, and their similarity, all of which are the basis of widely-used indicators of interdisciplinarity (Porter & Rafols, 2009).

 

Missing data affects the accuracy of interdisciplinarity measurements

While analytical indicators and tools to measure interdisciplinarity have been refined over time, their results should be understood only as a proxy. The accuracy of interdisciplinarity measurements is directly related to the quality of the underlying bibliographic data, which not only needs to be correct, but also complete. Unfortunately, gathering a correct and complete bibliographic dataset is almost impossible because the data, which is typically gathered from digital libraries, is rarely complete. Even though this problem can be mitigated by gathering publication data from different bibliographic sources, it will continue to exist due to the fact that there is no bibliographic source that indexes all existing scientific publications. For example, Web of Science and Scopus do not cover books, book chapters or many regional non-English journals. Even conference proceedings, which constitute publication venues in many applied fast-changing fields such as computer science, are often not indexed.

For our most recent bibliometric analysis, we gathered 1,746 publications from Web of Science and Scopus. Even after combining the data from both digital libraries, the extraction of references was possible for only 1,068 of them (Calatrava Moreno, Auzinger, & Werthner, 2016). Another source of inaccuracy is created when publications are incorrectly categorized or are not categorized at all into disciplines. The 1,746 publications of our dataset had a total of 12,243 references, of which only 5,310 were categorized into disciplines. This poses a serious obstacle when conducting citation analysis because each citation needs to be categorized into at least one discipline. If citations remain uncategorized, they will not be taken into account in the analysis. The more citations that remain uncategorized, the less accurate the measurement will be.

 

How much missing data should we allow in a bibliometric analysis?

In order to decrease the amount of unreliable data, previous literature has selected publications with a proportion of categorized references above a threshold value when computing an index of interdisciplinarity (Rafols, Leydesdorff, OHare, Nightingale, & Stirling, 2012). This approach, however, does not take into account that uncategorized references affect the measurement of disciplinary and interdisciplinary publications in different ways. While the uncategorized references of a disciplinary publication are likely to be from the same discipline, the references of an interdisciplinary publication will reference multiple disciplines. Therefore, missing data in highly interdisciplinary publications leads to an underestimation of the extent of their interdisciplinarity.

We have developed a method that addresses this problem. Given a publication and its references (both categorized and uncategorized), our method estimates the uncertainty caused by the uncategorized references. It acts as a confidence indicator that can be used to assess the reliability of bibliographic data and thereby discard unreliable publications from the bibliometric analysis.

Our contribution is a first approach to measure interdisciplinarity taking into account the incompleteness of bibliographic data.  Further work will be needed in order to tackle other problems that still affect the results of indicators of interdisciplinary research.

 

María del Carmen Calatrava is in the final year of her PhD at Vienna University of Technology, Austria. She has an interdisciplinary background in computer science, innovation and education science. She has two master’s degrees, one in computer science and one in innovation in computer science. Her main research interest is data analysis applied to the field of higher education. She is currently analyzing the production of interdisciplinary research within the context of new doctoral structures after the Bologna Process with both qualitative and quantitative methods. Her interest in technology has led her to contribute to the field of business informatics as well.

 

References

Bensman, S. J.,   & Leydesdorff, L. (2009). Definition and identification of journals as   bibliographic and subject entities: Librarianship versus ISI Journal Citation   Reports methods and their effect on citation measures. Journal of the   American Society for Information Science and Technology, 60(6),   1097-1117.

Calatrava Moreno,   M. C., Auzinger, T., & Werthner, H. (2016). On the uncertainty of   interdisciplinarity measurements due to incomplete bibliographic data. Scientometrics,   107(1), 213-232.

Leydesdorff, L.,   Carley, S., & Rafols, I. (2013). Global maps of science based on the new   Web-of-Science categories. Scientometrics, 94(2), 589-593.

Moed, H., Burger,   W., Frankfort, J., & Van Raan, A. F. (1985). The application of   bibliometric indicators: Important field- and time-dependent factors to be   considered. Scientometrics, 8(3-4), 177-203.

National Research   Council. (2010). Data on federal research and development: A pathway to   modernization. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Pan, L., &   Katrenko, S. (2015). A review of the UK’s interdisciplinary research using   a citation-based approach. Report to the UK HE funding bodies and MRC by   Elsevier. Elsevier.

Porter, A. L.,   & Rafols, I. (2009). Is science becoming more interdisciplinary?   measuring and mapping six research fields over time. Scientometrics, 81(3),   719-745.

Pudovkin, A. I.,   & Garfield, E. (2002). Algorithmic procedure for finding semantically   related journals. Journal of the American Society for Information Science   and Technology, 53(13), 1113-1119.

Rafols, I., &   Leydesdorff, L. (2009). Content-based and algorithmic classifications of   journals: Perspectives on the dynamics of scientific communication and   indexer effects. Journal of the American Society for Information Science   and Technology, 60(9), 1823-1835.

Rafols, l.,   Leydesdorff, L., OHare, A., Nightingale, P., & Stirling, A. (2012). How   journal rankings can suppress interdisciplinary research: A comparison   between innovation studies and business & management. Research Policy,   41(7), 1262-1282.

Wagner, C. S.,   Roessner, J. D., Bobb, K., Klein, J. T., Boyack, K. W., Keyton, J., . . .   Börner, K. (2011). Approaches to understanding and measuring   interdisciplinary scientific research (IDR): A review of the literature. Journal   of Informetrics, 5(1), 14-26.

The post Quantifying Interdisciplinarity in the Face of Uncertainty appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Tuesday 14 June 2016
11.00 Meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (photo opportunity)
13.00 Meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (Berlaymont)
17.00 Meeting with President of Central African Republic Faustin Touadera (photo opportunity)

Wednesday 15 June 2016
10.30 Meeting with Prime Minister of Timor Leste Rui Maria de Araújo (photo opportunity)
13.30 Meeting with President of Burkina Faso Roch Marc Kabore (photo opportunity)
14.15 Meeting with Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn (photo opportunity)
16.45 Meeting with President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim

Thursday 16 June 2016
Helsinki
12.00 Meeting with Prime Minister Juha Sipilä
13.00 Press conference
13.30 Working lunch
15.00 Meeting with President Sauli Niinistö

On 10 June 2016, the Council agreed its negotiating position on the proposal for a directive on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons, which reviews and completes existing directive 91/477/EEC. On the basis of this mandate, the presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament as soon as the latter has adopted its position. 

Ard van Der Steur, Minister for Security and Justice of the Netherlands and President of the Council said: “After the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels the Justice and Home Affairs Ministers asked for a swift adoption of the directive. With this new directive the Netherlands Presidency has achieved a just and fair balance between an internal market for allowed firearms on the one hand and enhancing the security of EU citizens on the other.” 

The revised directive aims at addressing certain weaknesses in the existing legislation that have been identified especially in the aftermath  of the  series of terrorists attacks that took place in Europe. The amendments which address risks for public safety and security focus on: 

• improved control of the traffic in firearms; 
• enhanced traceability of firearms; 
• measures on deactivation and reactivation or conversion of firearms; 
• stricter rules for the acquisition and possession of the most dangerous firearms; 
• banning civilian use of the most dangerous firearms; 
• improving the exchange of relevant information  between member states. 

The directive sets out minimum rules and does not prevent member states from adopting and applying stricter rules. 

 

Background  

Council directive 91/477/EEC on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons was originally designed as a measure to balance internal market objectives and security imperatives regarding "civil" firearms.  

The amending proposal was submitted by the European Commission on 18 November 2015 against the backdrop of a series of terrorist acts that took place in Europe and which brought to light  gaps in the implementation of the directive.  The current review is a continuation of the 2008 revision and also alignes EU legislation with the provisions on the UN Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms. 

General : "Germany won in 1980 and the coach was Jupp Dervall..." With the European Championship kicking off in France, we asked Parliament President Martin Schulz and other MEPs to share their best memories of the popular football tournament. They also reveal their plans for following the games, as well as their predictions for the winner.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : "Germany won in 1980 and the coach was Jupp Dervall..." With the European Championship kicking off in France, we asked Parliament President Martin Schulz and other MEPs to share their best memories of the popular football tournament. They also reveal their plans for following the games, as well as their predictions for the winner.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs debated plans for investment in Africa to help migrants find work in their home country during June's plenary session in Strasbourg this week. They looked too at ways to integrate migrants into the EU's labour market without disadvantaging local workers. MEPs also approved the mandate for an inquiry committee into the Panama papers and reviewed the EU's €315 billion investment plan. In addition Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev pleaded for more EU integration in a speech to plenary.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs debated plans for investment in Africa to help migrants find work in their home country during June's plenary session in Strasbourg this week. They looked too at ways to integrate migrants into the EU's labour market without disadvantaging local workers. MEPs also approved the mandate for an inquiry committee into the Panama papers and reviewed the EU's €315 billion investment plan. In addition Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev pleaded for more EU integration in a speech to plenary.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 9 June, EU Justice ministers discussed further improvements to criminal justice in cyberspace. They adopted two sets of conclusions which set out practical measures to improve cooperation, as well as a timeline for further action. 

Minister van der Steur, from the Netherlands presidency, said : "Making progress in these areas will contribute to securing and obtaining e-evidence more effectively, which is of utmost importance to step up the fight against terrorism and other criminal activities in or through the use of cyberspace." 

Council conclusions on improving criminal justice in cyberspace

The conclusions on improving criminal justice in cyberspace set out concrete measures for future follow-up and action in three main areas of work: 

• streamlining mutual legal assistance (MLA) proceedings and, where applicable, mutual recognition related to cyberspace, through the use of standardised electronic forms and tools.

• improving cooperation with service providers, through the development of a common framework (e.g. use of aligned forms and tools) with them to request specific categories of data; and

• launching a reflection process on possible connecting factors for enforcement jurisdiction in cyberspace. 

While some of the measures identified in the conclusions could be implemented right away, others need further reflection and political guidance. For this reason, Ministers held a policy debate on two specific issues, namely: 

• the possible grounds for enforcement jurisdiction that could be applied in cyberspace, e.g. grounds on which the relevant authorities can undertake an investigative measure in cyberspace,  when existing frameworks are not enough, such as cases where relevant e-evidence is hidden or moves quickly between jurisdictions; and

• a differentiated treatment of specific categories of data in criminal proceedings - i.e. how a differentiated approach - between non-content (subscriber or traffic) and content data or between real time and stored data - would affect their national legal framework, what elements would be relevant for a common EU approach and what measures could be considered in this respect.

The Council requested the Commission to present deliverables on the three work streams by June 2017. 

Council conclusions on the European Judicial Cybercrime Network

The conclusions formalise and enhance the network of judicial authorities and experts in the field of cybercrime, supported by Eurojust. 

The objective of the network is to facilitate the exchange of expertise, best practices and other relevant knowledge and experience on the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime. 

 Background

Ministers expressed political support in December 2015, and at the informal meeting of the Ministers of 26 January 2016 in Amsterdam, to develop solutions enabling effective investigations in cyberspace. Following the terrorist attacks in Brussels on 22 March 2016, the Ministers of Justice and Home affairs jointly emphasised the need to address these issues as a matter of priority.

Plenary sessions : A surge in low-cost EU imports of rail supplies such as engines or signals from non-EU countries, including China, is skewing competitive conditions for EU suppliers, MEPs warned on Thursday, adding that much of this surge is due to strong political and financial support in exporters’ home countries. Parliament calls on the EU Commission to craft "a coherent EU trade strategy, which ensures compliance with the principle of reciprocity, particularly in relation to Japan, China and the USA."

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : A surge in low-cost EU imports of rail supplies such as engines or signals from non-EU countries, including China, is skewing competitive conditions for EU suppliers, MEPs warned on Thursday, adding that much of this surge is due to strong political and financial support in exporters’ home countries. Parliament calls on the EU Commission to craft "a coherent EU trade strategy, which ensures compliance with the principle of reciprocity, particularly in relation to Japan, China and the USA."

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : New EU rules to ease free movement for citizens by making it simpler to prove the authenticity of documents such as birth or marriage certificates in another EU member state were voted by Parliament on Thursday. To avoid any need for translation, new multilingual EU forms are to be attached to the documents. The vote endorsed an informal deal previously struck by Parliament and Council negotiators.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : New EU rules to ease free movement for citizens by making it simpler to prove the authenticity of documents such as birth or marriage certificates in another EU member state were voted by Parliament on Thursday. To avoid any need for translation, new multilingual EU forms are to be attached to the documents. The vote endorsed an informal deal previously struck by Parliament and Council negotiators.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament deplores the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia, calls on Tajikistan to allow opposition groups, lawyers and journalists to operate freely, and urges Vietnam to put an immediate end to all harassment, intimidation, and persecution of political activists, journalists, bloggers, dissidents and human rights defenders, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament deplores the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia, calls on Tajikistan to allow opposition groups, lawyers and journalists to operate freely, and urges Vietnam to put an immediate end to all harassment, intimidation, and persecution of political activists, journalists, bloggers, dissidents and human rights defenders, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump: the final contenders for the US presidency have been chosen. The two most-hated candidates have beaten off their rivals, commentators observe, and predict that gender issues will play a key role in determining the winner.