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CJS 2026, 13(2): 1-2 |
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Yaminfirooz M. The Scientific Legacy of a Professor: Beyond What Scientometrics Can Measure. CJS 2026; 13 (2) :1-2
URL: http://cjs.mubabol.ac.ir/article-1-450-en.html
URL: http://cjs.mubabol.ac.ir/article-1-450-en.html
Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
Abstract: (16 Views)
The passing of the late Hassan Javidi, a distinguished professor of Information Science and Knowledge Studies and one of the prominent figures in the field of information organization, is not merely the loss of a professor for his family, students, and colleagues; it is the loss of a part of the scientific and professional memory of a generation that learned the knowledge of information organization from him with precision, discipline, and responsibility. For many students, Javidi was a familiar name in the teaching of classification, particularly the Dewey Decimal Classification and information organization systems; however, what remains from the accounts of his students and colleagues goes beyond the content of his lectures. One of his students, years after his student days, still uses his notes and handouts for teaching and professional work, and recalls exercises that were each designed to teach a profound point in information organization.
His long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Fattahi, in an account spanning more than five decades of friendship and collaboration, presents a portrait of a professor who, alongside his scholarly ability, was warm, responsible, and influential as a human being—someone who also played a significant role in shaping the education of library and information science at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. But perhaps now, the passing of such a professor places a more important question before us—a question directly related to the nature of scientometrics:
1. How should the scholarly impact of a professor be measured?
2. Can the scientific legacy of a professor be summarized in the number of articles, citation counts, h-index, research collaborations, or their position in citation networks?
3. If the answer to this question is affirmative, then what becomes of a professor who has taught dozens and hundreds of students, taught them the correct way of thinking and scholarly work, trained generations of specialists, and whose knowledge and experience have been reproduced in classrooms and professional environments for years after retirement?
4. Which scientometric indicator can measure the effect of a precise exercise, a scholarly remark, a correct teaching method, or even the professional character of a professor who has changed the intellectual path of a student?
This question is not a rejection of scientometrics; on the contrary, it is an invitation to reflect on its boundaries. Scientometrics is a powerful tool for understanding and measuring an important part of scientific communications and outputs; however, what is measured is not necessarily all that is called "impact" in science.
Citations are part of the formal memory of science; but students, colleagues, and the generations that follow a professor constitute the human and educational memory of science. Perhaps if one day we wish to assess the "true impact" of professors such as Hassan Javidi, instead of asking: How many articles have they written? What is their h-index? — we should ask ourselves: How many ideas have they shaped? How many students have they taught, and how many scientific generations have benefited from the knowledge they transmitted?
Some professors can be found in their lists of articles and citations; but others must be found in the memory of their students. The late Hassan Javidi was of this latter category. He departed from among us, but a part of the knowledge, precision, professional ethics, and memories he left in the minds and lives of his students will continue; and perhaps this enduring presence is itself one of the most important forms of scholarly impact for which we still have no precise indicator. Not everything that is valuable is necessarily countable; and not everything that is countable necessarily tells the whole story of value.
May the memory and name of Professor Hassan Javidi be honored.
His long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Fattahi, in an account spanning more than five decades of friendship and collaboration, presents a portrait of a professor who, alongside his scholarly ability, was warm, responsible, and influential as a human being—someone who also played a significant role in shaping the education of library and information science at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. But perhaps now, the passing of such a professor places a more important question before us—a question directly related to the nature of scientometrics:
1. How should the scholarly impact of a professor be measured?
2. Can the scientific legacy of a professor be summarized in the number of articles, citation counts, h-index, research collaborations, or their position in citation networks?
3. If the answer to this question is affirmative, then what becomes of a professor who has taught dozens and hundreds of students, taught them the correct way of thinking and scholarly work, trained generations of specialists, and whose knowledge and experience have been reproduced in classrooms and professional environments for years after retirement?
4. Which scientometric indicator can measure the effect of a precise exercise, a scholarly remark, a correct teaching method, or even the professional character of a professor who has changed the intellectual path of a student?
This question is not a rejection of scientometrics; on the contrary, it is an invitation to reflect on its boundaries. Scientometrics is a powerful tool for understanding and measuring an important part of scientific communications and outputs; however, what is measured is not necessarily all that is called "impact" in science.
Citations are part of the formal memory of science; but students, colleagues, and the generations that follow a professor constitute the human and educational memory of science. Perhaps if one day we wish to assess the "true impact" of professors such as Hassan Javidi, instead of asking: How many articles have they written? What is their h-index? — we should ask ourselves: How many ideas have they shaped? How many students have they taught, and how many scientific generations have benefited from the knowledge they transmitted?
Some professors can be found in their lists of articles and citations; but others must be found in the memory of their students. The late Hassan Javidi was of this latter category. He departed from among us, but a part of the knowledge, precision, professional ethics, and memories he left in the minds and lives of his students will continue; and perhaps this enduring presence is itself one of the most important forms of scholarly impact for which we still have no precise indicator. Not everything that is valuable is necessarily countable; and not everything that is countable necessarily tells the whole story of value.
May the memory and name of Professor Hassan Javidi be honored.
Type of Study: Editorial |
Subject:
Scientometrics
Received: 2026/09/30 | Accepted: 2026/11/22 | ePublished: 2026/11/22
Received: 2026/09/30 | Accepted: 2026/11/22 | ePublished: 2026/11/22
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