V.V. Nalimov and Russian scientometrics:
the history and the present
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Granovsky Yu.V., Drogalina J.A., Markova Ye.V.
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Moscow State University
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ZPCH@rambler.ru
Nalimov - october 2013
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Professor V.V. Nalimov (1910-1997)
Nalimov - october 2013
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Professor V.V. Nalimov (1910-1997)
A bit of V.V. Nalimov Biography
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Father – Nalimov V.P., Ugro-Finnish by birth,
ethnographer, a professor of anthropology in
Moscow State University,maintained a wide range
of interests in the sciences and humanities, died
in the Gulag’s prison in 1939.
Mother – Nalimova N.I., a dedicated surgeon was
mobilized to the Red Army in the Civil War, died
working as a physician in a military hospital in
the typhus epidemic in 1919.
In 1929-1931 V.V. Nalimov - a student of the
Physical- Mathematical Department of Moscow
State University. He did not graduate from the
university due to the political conflict with
Komsomol Organization of the Department.
Nalimov - october 2013
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A bit of V.V. Nalimov Biography
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In 1931-1936 V.V. Nalimov worked at the All-Union
Electro-Technical Institute and then at the Institute of
Control and Measuring Devices, where he performed
studies in the photoelectric effects. The first paper he
published in 1933. In 1936 Nalimov was arrested and
sentenced to five years imprisonment in GULAG. Only in
1953 he was released and returned to Moscow to join
VINITY , the All–Union Institute for Scientific and Technical
Information of the Academy of Sciences, as a branch editor
of an abstract journal in physics. He wrote his first book
“The application of Mathematical Statistics to Chemical
Analysis”. Published in Russian in 1960, it appeared both in
England and the US in 1963, translated into English. At
that time he got interested in cybernetics, and in 1959
published his first scientometric article “Scientific and
technical information as one of the tasks of cybernetics”
(co-authors N.I. Styazhkin and G.E. Vleduts).
Nalimov - october 2013
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A bit of V.V. Nalimov Biography
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The article put forward an original logical
justification of the examined mathematical
models for the growth of science.
In 1959 Nalimov got an appointment at the
State Institute of Rare Metals, where he
continued his investigations into mathematical
statistics and the theory of experimental design
along with a mathematical group he organized
there. In 1965 he returned to Moscow State
University to join the new Interfaculty Laboratory
of Statistical Methods headed by the famous
Soviet mathematician A.N. Kolmogorov. Awarded
the title of professor , Nalimov held the Chair of
Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics.
Nalimov - october 2013
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Along the Way of Scientometrics
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In summer of 1966 in L’vov was held the SovietPolish Symposium, where V.V. Nalimov gave a
talk on the mathematical modeling of processes
in science. He was the one who coined the term
«scientometrics» for the new scope of inquiry . The
term has been adopted by the journal
Scientometrics founded in 1978 by Tibor Braun.
Later this year Nalimov published the article
Quantitative methods of research in the science
development, where he extended principles
formulated in his earlier works. By that time V.V.
Nalimov has already gathered around him an
informal scientometrical group.
Nalimov - october 2013
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Along the Way of Scietometrics
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By the close of 1967 the authors from the
invisible college published a paper dealing with
the study of journals as communication channels,
and contributions of certain countries to the
global information flow. It contained a precise
description of the information model of science
development, where journals were regarded as
communication channels, and the system of
bibliographic references as a special language of
scientific information indicating the publication
influence on the development of global
information flows.
Nalimov - october 2013
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Along the Way of Scietometrics
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The year 1969 was marked by the publication of
the book: V.V. Nalimov, Z.M. Mulchenko:
Scientometrics. The study of science as an information
process. It was the first full monograph on
quantitative methods for the study of science.
This proved to be the theoretical foundation for
the work of many other scholars studying the
structure of scientific research. Its main subjects
embraced science citation indices, information
systems based on the language of bibliographic
references and the study of internal relation in
science based on the language of bibliographic
references (the latter relates to the historical
analysis of the development of scientific trends).
Nalimov - october 2013
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Along the Way of Scietometrics
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There also discussed the study of the internal
structure of a research front, the example of a
detailed statistical analysis of a scientific trend,
and logical analysis of the forecast problem.
Concluding remarks indicated the necessity of
creating a special information center for the
statistical study of science, being managed
through the use of scientometric data.
Nalimov - october 2013
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Along the Way of Scietometrics
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V.V. Nalimov went on with his research and in
the beginning of … ? published several papers
dealing with the comparison of science and
biosphere, geographical distribution of scientific
information and change in the requirement of
intellectuals.
In 1980 he accepted the offer to become a
Consulting Editor of the journal Scientometrics. In
1987 Nalimov was awarded the biennial Derek
de Solla Price medal conferred by the Editorial
Advisory Board of the journal Scientometrics for
outstanding achievements in scientometrics.
Nalimov - october 2013
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V.V. Nalimov with the Derek J. De Solla Price Medal
Nalimov - october 2013
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Nalimov`s program
of scientometrics’ development in Russia
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1) To set up an information center for regular science
development tracking (based on the statistical analysis of
information streams) and scientometrics research coordination.
2) To bring in the main subjects of the science of science on
the higher school programs.
3) To create the Russian Index of scientific citing.
4) To set up the home scientometrics’ journal.
5) To hold regular seminars and conferences on
scientometrics.
6) To estimate significance of home scientific issues on the
base of scientometric rating.
Nalimov`s program
of scientometrics’ development in Russia



1) To set up an information center for regular science
development tracking (based on the statistical analysis of
information streams) and scientometrics’research
coordination.
Implementation:
About 40 organizations dealing with the science
of science and scientometrics came into
existence. But there never appeared a structure
similar to the USA Institute for scientific
information.
Nalimov - october 2013
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Nalimov`s program
of scientometrics’ development in Russia
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2) To bring in the main subjects of science of science on the
higher school programs.
Implementation:
The Russian Federation ministry of education and
science recommended use of scientometric
indicators for evaluation of organizations’
research activities. It naturally requires special
training to promote the result.
Nalimov - october 2013
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Nalimov`s program
of scientometrics’ development in Russia
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3) To create the Russian Index of scientific citing.
Implementation:
This V.V. Nalimov’s proposal was realized only to
some extent. The Russian SCI is being under
creation since 2005. Now its citation information
comes from publications out of more than 3500
Russian journals. Monographs, manuals, patents
and theses are also included. Though the Web of
Science database covers only 10% of Russian
publications.
Nalimov`s program
of scientometrics’ development in Russia
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4) To set up the home scientometrics’ journal.
Implementation:
This journal has never appeared.
Though scientometric articles were accepted by
the journals concerned with the science of
science, such ones as The Messenger of the Russian Academy
Science and Higher School (launched in 1992), and the
Russian academic journal Science of Science , (issued
since 1999).
Nalimov`s program
of scientometrics’ development in Russia
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5) To hold regular seminars and conferences on the problems
of scientometrics.
Implementation:
There is one regular seminar on the science of
science at the Institute of scientific information
for social sciences of the Russian Academy of
Sciences.
In 2008 and 2010 there held conferences on the
science of science problems, and the next one,
scheduled on 2012, was never organized.
Nalimov`s program
of scientometrics’ development in Russia
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6) To estimate significance of home scientific issues on the
base of scientometric rating.
Derek de Solla Price and Vassily Nalimov in
Moscow State University, 1971
Garfield Eu. 2011. Historiographic analysis of the impact of V.V. Nalimov on the
occasion of his 100th birthday. Василий Васильевич Налимов – математик и
философ (к 100-летию со дня рождения). М.: МАКС Пресс, 391 с.
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«In closing I would simply mention that Nalimov
and I probably brushed shoulders when I visited
VINITI in 1961 during the time of the
International Congress of Biochemistry. George
E. Vladutz was in the audience as well. Then
when I returned to the Moscow Book Fair from
1965 to 1977 we were able to meet and talk.
These discussions led to the translation and
publication by ISI Press of four of his books.
During those interim years I was able to help him
find a huge range of books which he rapidly
absorbed.
I think I took greater satisfaction in being able to
do this for one of the few geniuses I have
encountered in my lifetime» (p. 307).