This article presents basic principles and examples of spatial representations derived from the analysis of cooccurrence frequency data pertaining to bibliographic information elements, such as keywords and citations, in research publications and patents. Characteristics of the main types of bibliographic maps are outlined, and potential…

In a growing number of countries, government-appointed assessment panels develop ranks on the basis of the quality of scholarly outputs to apportion budgets in recognition of evaluated performance and to justify public funds for future R&D activities. When business and management journals are being grouped in broad quality categories, a recent…

Evaluation of industrial research and development (R&D) must be simple and low cost, and it must contribute to corporate goals without distracting researchers from their research. These points are illustrated with reference to General Electric's Research and Development Center, which is the company's corporate laboratory. (SLD)

This study describes an empirical evaluation and comparison of two federally funded programs designed to foster Industry-University (I-U) cooperation. Results indicate that participants in I-U Projects perceive applied objectives like patent development as the most important goal of their collaboration, whereas I-U Centers promote a more basic…

Strengths and weaknesses of three types of semiquantitative methods used by the federal government in research impact assessment are presented, and examples of their use are reviewed. These include the classic retrospective method, another retrospective approach, and accomplishments books used by selected research-sponsoring organizations. (SLD)

The history of research and development (R&D) and its evaluation within the 3M Company are traced as an example of the progression of the use of evaluation and evaluation techniques. Scoring methods, cost-benefit analysis, and risk analysis have been among the most frequently used program evaluation methods. (SLD)

Articles in this special issue deal with the assessment of the impact of research and are divided into segments concerning semiquantitative approaches; qualitative approaches; and quantitative and fiscal approaches. These articles illustrate the importance of the role of motivation and associated incentives. (SLD)