Tanel Hirv will defend his doctoral thesis „Internationalisation of the Estonian research system through the lens of bibliometric indicators: criticism and policy recommendations“ for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Economics)

On 7 May at 12:15 Tanel Hirv will defend his doctoral thesis "Internationalisation of the Estonian research system through the lens of bibliometric indicators: criticism and policy recommendations" for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Economics).

Supervisors:
Professor Kadri Ukrainski, University of Tartu

Opponents:
Senior Research Fellow Attila Havas, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary
Professor Meelis Kitsing, Estonian Business School, Estonia

Summary
In this doctoral dissertation, the impact of science is explored from a bibliometric perspective, measuring the number of research publications and citations. The main goal is to unravel the puzzle of Estonian science – its growth in citation impact despite limited research and development funding. Estonia’s remarkable numbers of publication citations have gained attention not only locally but have also been featured in the prestigious journal, Nature. This emphasises how Estonia has successfully and rapidly transformed its scientific landscape, thanks to international support and effective national strategies, setting an inspiring precedent for others aiming to do the same. Internationalisation emerges as a potential piece in the puzzle. The results reveal a strong association between international collaboration and citation impact, applicable to both large and small research systems. Participation in international consortia is a specific form of collaboration that significantly impacts citation rates for smaller countries like Estonia, Cyprus, and Iceland. While research conducted in consortia significantly increases citation counts, it is important to note that a substantial proportion of these citations is artificial, given the high number of co-authors involved. The phenomenon of mass authorship is also the most significant piece of Estonia’s science puzzle, particularly affecting the natural sciences and medicine. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of foreign funding – research conducted under European Union funded projects involves more extensive international collaboration and yields higher citation rates compared to nationally funded research. In light of these results, it is recommended to continue active participation in international research, actively seek funding from European Union Framework Programmes, and reconsider the methodology for constructing bibliometric rankings that take mass authorship into consideration.

The defence will be held in Narva Rd. 18–2046 and online.