Skip to main content
Log in

Quasity, when quantity has a quality all of its own—toward a theory of performance

  • Published:
Scientometrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Quality, Quantity, Performance,… An unresolved challenge in performance evaluation in a very general context that goes beyond scientometrics, has been to determine a single indicator that can combine quality and quantity of output or outcome. Toward this end, we start from metaphysical considerations and propose introducing a new name called Quasity to describe those quantity terms which incorporate a degree of quality and best measures the output. The product of quality and quasity then becomes an energy term which serves as a performance indicator. Lessons from kinetics, bibliometrics and sportometrics are used to build up this theme.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Glanzel, W. (2008), On some new bibliometric applications of statistics related to the h-index. OR 0801, KU Leuven.

  • Hirsch, J. E. (2005). An index to quantify an individual’s scientific research output. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 102, 16569–16572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prathap, G. (2010a). Is there a place for a mock h-index? Scientometrics, 84, 153–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prathap, G. (2010b). Top 20 national rankings in molecular biology and genetics: a scientometric analysis using the iCX map representation. Current Science, 99, 1639–1640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prathap, G. (2011). Who won at ASIAD 2010? Current Science, 100, 8–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terall, G. (2004). Vis viva revisited. History of Science, 42, 189–2009.

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gangan Prathap.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Prathap, G. Quasity, when quantity has a quality all of its own—toward a theory of performance. Scientometrics 88, 555–562 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0401-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0401-2

Keywords

Navigation