سخن سردبیر:نیم‌نگاهی تأمل‌برانگیز به پشتوانه‌های پژوهشی، آموزشی و حرفه‌ای رشتۀ علم‌سنجی در دانشگاه‌های جهان

One of the issues that is always considered in setting up new academic disciplines is being the need-driven and, in other words, the requirement to have the ability to solve some of the problems and needs of the country. Since there has been a lot of talk about the being need-driven of scientometrics in the notes from the Editor-in-Chief of the previous issues of the Journal, it is enough to mention that during the short time since the establishment of this field in the country, the employment of scientometrics graduates in many universities, research centers, organizations, and ministries have been provided, which can be considered the most important reason of being the need-driven of this field in the country. Of course, the professional perspective on this issue also includes the view that with the past nearly half a decade of graduated scientometrics students in the country, this opportunity and effective new field of work and profession has been given to the science of information and knowledge and the broader presence of librarians has been provided by scientometrics coverage in the country's organizations. However, the question still arises as to whether being need-driven can be considered as the only reason for launching a field, and whether a discipline can exist outside without the necessary research support and enter the fields of higher education.
It is obvious that no educated mind will accept that a university discipline can enter the fields of higher education only by being need-driven and without the necessary support and research backgrounds at the national and international levels. Of course, with a realistic view of this issue, it can be acknowledged that without strong research backgrounds, the characteristics and capabilities of an academic field will not even find an independent identity, let alone enter the field of higher education. Therefore, it is easy to accept that in order to set up an academic discipline, it is important to have an independent identity based on international research support.
Despite these two obvious principles, the important question remains, what is meant by having international research support? Are scientific and specialized journals working on the publication of research in a particular field, the scientific backbone of an academic field? What about specialized international associations that operate in a specific field? What about specialized conferences, some of which are even decades old and are being held continuously and uninterruptedly internationally and in different countries? In other words, can conferences that give experts in each field the opportunity to come together, share their scientific findings, discuss their scientific issues with each other, and thus strengthen their scientific and professional networks, be considered as parts of scientific support of an academic discipline? Furthermore, can the existence of scientific theories in one field be considered as one of the most important signs of the survival and rootedness of identity and as another support for that field?
It is obvious that the answer to all these questions will be positive for any educated mind; Because every fair researcher acknowledges the fact that the associations, conferences, and specialized publications of each academic field are its main scientific support and pave the way for the emergence of new scientific theories in that field; Theories that ultimately polish and consolidate the identity of that scientific field.
Now, if we accept the above basic frameworks, it will be very easy to answer the question, "Does the field of scientometrics have the identity and scientific, academic, and international professional support?" It will be very simple; because there are several dynamic and active international associations, conferences and specialized international publications in this field in different countries, some of which are about half a century old. On the other hand, some scientific theories in this field, which have attracted the attention of the world of science from the very beginning, date back to about a century. Many of these theories, achievements, and indicators of scientometrics have also entered the field of operations and have emerged in products such as scientometric databases and have provided the grounds for further development of these databases. Therefore, the field of scientometrics, which has received an academic identity in Iran since 2011, has entered the fields of higher education in Iran not only on the basis of domestic needs, but also on the basis of a set of scientific, academic and international support.
Of course, scientific and academic support in the field of scientometrics is not limited to the research sector, but also includes higher education; this field has attracted the attention of many universities around the world. At present, a significant number of international universities have provided the required conditions for the education of the enthusiasts of this field to meet the needs of the society and also to develop specialized scientific knowledge. Enthusiasts who spend their time, energy and focus not only on personal interest, but also because of the need for knowledge in this field today and study in this way and choose this field. The need is becoming more and more important, and it is leading several international research and development centers that work under the name of scientometrics or similar letters to measure, evaluate science, technology, and innovation to attract and employ graduates and professionals.
Of course, it should not be overlooked that the way in which courses are developed and written in countries depends on the conditions of each country's higher education system, and in particular on being centralized or decentralized of these systems. It is obvious that the methods of development and naming of disciplines in different countries are also affected by this issue and may be different from one country to another. Due to these differences, if the names of the courses are not the same, the universities will base the leveling of the degrees of the students and the graduates on the content of their courses and will equate it with the equivalent academic courses. Thus, the issue of alignment and equivalence of the degrees of the students' fields of study with each other is another category that must be looked at from a different perspective. Therefore, not having the similar name for a field in some universities or countries should not be considered as the existence or absence of that field in a university or country; Otherwise, it will be concluded that many disciplines established in one country, such as Iran, are not established in universities of other countries, which is certainly not a correct result and stems from a misguided view of principles, roots, content, and leveling of disciplines.
Similarly, today's research centers are not limited to centers with the name Scientometrics in their organizational titles, but also cover a much wider range of centers that work in this field. A simple search on the web and scientific social networks such as LinkedIn and ResearchGate will clearly show that while there are many national and international centers that use the word Scientometrics in their titles, furthermore, there are many other centers that work in this field without using the word Scientometrics in their titles.
Of course, it doesn't matter what words, phrases, or labels the centers use to write or present their work, but what matters is that all internationally active centers in the field of science agree on one thing, and that is focus on "Assessment and evaluation of science, technology and innovation on the purpose of supporting the planning and policy of science, technology and innovation at the micro and macro levels" and this is the point that puts all these centers together and in the family of Scientometrics.
Another important point is that although each of these centers has established itself by relying on various scientific and practical supports, they are also considered as strong supports in the field of scientometrics and are present in the cycle of development and international life in this field. Therefore, scientometrics is a field that needs to be focused and has strong scientific, research, educational, professional and practical support that is being developed more and more in universities and research institutes around the world. Therefore, fortunately, it has been born in our country's higher education system in time, and with empathy and coherent movement for its increasing development, it has been and will be the source of the work.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Abdolreza Noroozi Chakoli, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief of Scientometrics Research Journal
Scientific Bi-Quarterly of Shahed University