Quantitative analysis of the Italian National Scientific Qualification

The Italian National Scientific Qualification (ASN) was introduced in 2010 as part of a major reform of the national university system. Under the new regulation, the scientific qualification for a specific role (associate or full professor) and field of study is required to apply for a permanent professor position. The ASN is peculiar since it makes use of bibliometric indicators with associated thresholds as one of the parameters used to assess applicants. The first round of the ASN received 59,149 applications, and the results have been made publicly available for a short period of time, including the values of the quantitative indicators for each applicant. The availability of this wealth of information provides an opportunity to draw a fairly detailed picture of a nation-wide evaluation exercise, and to study the impact of the bibliometric indicators on the qualification results. In this paper, we provide a first account of the Italian National Scientific Qualification from a quantitative point of view. We show that significant differences exist among scientific disciplines, in particular with respect to the fraction of qualified applicants, that cannot be easily explained. Furthermore, we describe some issues related to the definition and use of the bibliometric indicators and the corresponding thresholds. Our analysis aims at drawing attention to potential problems that should be addressed by decision-makers in future rounds of the ASN.