Abstract

The aim of this paper is to offer a contribution to the analysis of which bibliometric indicators are best suited to the functions they could be expected to perform with the ongoing reform of the Italian university system. We will compare two pictures representing Italian economists using two different indexes: the "h" index based on the idea that the quality of research is to be measured in terms of its «impact», so it counts the quantity of citations of research products corrected on the basis of the number of publications and the "EconlitNumber" that attaches importance to the numerousness of publications corrected on the basis of the weight to be attributed, by the evaluators, to products of research, on the basis of characteristics (place and publication typology). Comparing the results obtained we demonstrate that they give rise to strikingly different rankings of individuals, Universities and Faculties, and are therefore to be approached very gingerly.