Evaluation On Research Competitiveness Of Social Sciences And Humanities Among Universities

With the progress of human society, Social Sciences and Humanities play a more and more important role in the whole system of science. The importance and imminency of the development of social sciences and humanities are the more prominent than ever. Universities are main force of developing social sciences and humanities in China, which requires the evaluation system of social sciences and humanities research to be strengthened. The evaluation system of social sciences and humanities is the basis of evaluating research activities and achievements of social sciences and humanities. Evaluation can standardize and facilitate the healthy and orderly development of social sciences and humanities. In the recent years, several studies on the evaluation system of social sciences and humanities and some partial evaluation activities have been done in China, with some certain progress. However, the construction of the evaluation system of Chinese social sciences and humanities falls far behind the development of science research, which obstructs social sciences and humanities research from developing further. Therefore, in this article, an evaluation on research competitiveness of social sciences and humanities among universities was conducted.Evaluation methodology provides the theoretical basis for research evaluation. In the first section, according to the logical order, the author classified evaluation methods into methods for identifying evaluation indicators, for identifying the weights of individual evaluation indicators and for manipulating data of evaluation indicators. Each kind of existed evaluation methods was reviewed.Evaluation tools provide actual data and means for research evaluation. In the second section, the author examined available tools home and abroad for research evaluation in order to find applicable ones for this study. The main evaluation tools abroad are SSCI, A&HCI and ISSHP while those in China include research evaluation databases, online data and statistical materials.After preparing the evaluation methodology and tools, the author constructed an evaluation indicator system of social sciences and humanities research competitiveness among Chinese universities with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The process went as follows: (1) construct the hierarchical structure figure of evaluation on research competitiveness of social sciences and humanities among universities; (2) construct matrices for comparing between one another indicator's importance; (3) calculate relative weights of elements under single rule and (4) calculate combined weights of elements of all levels.Collecting and manipulating evaluation data are important procedures for evaluation, which determine the quality of evaluation. In the fourth section, the author described the process of collecting input data, including human resources, R&D bases, programs and outlays, and output data, including books, articles, reports and prizes of 572 universities in 2002. After data for .each indicator was normalized, two efficiency indicators, namely production per person and production per ten thousand yuan were calculated.According to the weights and data of individual indicators given above, the author presented a ranking list of top 50 universities. Classified by the characteristics of scores ofinput, output and efficiency indicators, the rankings of four groups of universities were analyzed. Because equilibrium among indicator scores is important for research evaluation, the author then corrected the efficiency scores of the universities with an extremely high ratio of its efficiency score to its total score based on a certain rule. The corrected ranking list was also presented.To enhance the area of evaluation on research competitiveness of social sciences and humanities among universities, at the end of the article, the limits and research direction in future were also put forward.This article is one of the results of Evaluation on Research Competitiveness of Social Sciences and Humanities among Chinese Universities...