Important Conferences for Scientometrics and Informetrics Professionals

Behind every ranking of universities, every research funding decision, and every analysis of “hot” research topics lies a quiet discipline that measures the structure and growth of knowledge itself. Scientometrics and informetrics give us the tools to count, map, and evaluate scholarly output. But these fields do not advance in isolated laboratories. They grow through conversation: at conferences where new metrics are debated, at workshops where methods are tested, and at congresses where collaborations are born. For students and professionals entering this field, knowing where these conversations happen is as important as knowing the formulas. This post walks through the most significant gatherings that shape scientometrics and informetrics worldwide and at home.

International conferences that define the field 🔗

The single most important event for anyone serious about this discipline is the International Conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI). It is the flagship gathering of the field, held every two years under the auspices of the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics. Understanding its history helps explain why it carries so much weight.

The story of ISSI 🔗

The conference series began in 1987 in Diepenbeek, Belgium, organised by Leo Egghe and Ronald Rousseau. At that time it was simply called the International Conference on Bibliometrics and Theoretical Aspects of Information Retrieval, and the organisers were not even sure enough scholars existed to fill a single meeting. Interest proved strong. By the time the fourth meeting was held in Berlin in 1993, participants voted the formal society into existence, and from then on the official name became the International Conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics.

The conference has since travelled across every continent. Editions have been hosted in Canada, India, Germany, the USA, Israel, Mexico, Australia, China, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Austria, Turkey, Italy and Belgium, among others. India hosted the third edition in 1991, an early sign of the country’s long engagement with the field. The scale has grown substantially. The 17th edition at Sapienza University of Rome in 2019 attracted over 650 participants from 44 countries, a record attendance, with 420 submissions resulting in 261 oral presentations.

Why ISSI matters for the discipline 🔗

ISSI is where the field’s central debates play out. Topics range across research methodologies, citation analysis, research evaluation, the social aspects of science, and increasingly the role of open science and artificial intelligence. The 2025 edition in Yerevan, Armenia, the 20th in the series, featured a special track on Open Research Information, reflecting how quickly the agenda evolves. The conference also drives the institutional life of the discipline. New student awards, the Derek de Solla Price Memorial Medal, and the society’s open-access journal Quantitative Science Studies all connect back to this community.

For a researcher in India, presenting at ISSI is a recognised marker of arrival in the international community. The next edition, the 21st, will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, in the summer of 2027, hosted by National Taiwan University in close proximity to its Department of Library and Information Science.

Workshops and seminars for deeper engagement 🔗

Conferences set the broad agenda, but workshops and seminars are where skills are sharpened and smaller communities form. These events tend to be more focused, more hands-on, and often more accessible to early-career professionals.

The STI-ENID conference 🔗

The most influential event in the workshop-and-seminar tradition is the International Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (STI), organised in collaboration with the European Network of Indicator Developers (ENID). This annual event represents the quantitative approach to science and technology studies in its most policy-oriented form. It has a history of around three decades and focuses on scientometric research in the context of science policy and research management, having broadened over the past decade to include more qualitative studies.

What makes STI-ENID distinctive is its direct engagement with how indicators are actually used. The 2025 edition at the University of Bristol carried the theme “Reconciliation of Research and Measurement,” addressing the interpretation of frameworks like CoARA, the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment, and questions of equity and diversity in research culture. This matters greatly for Indian institutions, which increasingly rely on bibliometric indicators for evaluation. Bibliometric studies are increasingly requested by R&D policymakers and funding agencies in emerging economies such as India to set research directions and satisfy management needs.

SIG/MET and society-led symposia 🔗

Another valuable venue is the workshop run by the Special Interest Group for Metrics (SIG/MET) of the Association for Information Science and Technology. Held annually since 2011, this workshop combines short presentations, posters, and open discussions among experienced researchers, young academics, and practitioners, covering altmetrics, bibliometrics, scientometrics, webometrics, and informetrics. It deliberately fosters interaction across career stages, which makes it an excellent entry point for students.

The ISSI society itself also organises focused workshops on emerging concerns. One notable example examined reproducibility in scientometrics research, asking where the field has problems with irreproducible results, a debate borrowed from biomedicine and psychology and applied to the measurement of science. These smaller settings allow methodological problems to be tackled in depth, away from the crowded schedule of a large conference.

The Indian and Asian context 🔗

While ISSI and STI define the global stage, the field has a strong regional home that students in India should know well.

COLLNET and the WIS conference 🔗

The International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics (WIS), held jointly with the COLLNET Meeting, is the most India-connected event in the discipline. COLLNET, the global interdisciplinary research network founded by Hildrun Kretschmer, has held many of its meetings in India, including New Delhi, Roorkee, and Mysore. These conferences are frequently organised in association with the Society for Library Professionals and the Asian Chapter of the Special Libraries Association.

The connection runs deep. The 11th WIS conference and 16th COLLNET Meeting were held in New Delhi in 2015, hosted by the Institute of Economic Growth at the University of Delhi. The same venue hosted the 2025 edition, the 19th WIS conference and 24th COLLNET Meeting, in September 2025. For librarians, information professionals, researchers, and practitioners in India, COLLNET offers the rare advantage of a world-class scientometrics conference accessible without international travel, while still drawing participants from across many countries.

Future events and the role of networking 🔗

The value of these gatherings extends well beyond the papers presented. Conferences and congresses are where future trends are set and where collaborations begin.

Shaping the agenda of tomorrow 🔗

Each conference cycle reveals where the discipline is heading. Recent themes show a clear movement away from simple counting toward responsible and contextualised assessment. The STI-ENID conference for 2026 carries the theme “Indicators for a Responsible Research Future,” focusing on diversity, inclusivity, openness, and sustainability in research assessment, and on how indicators can align with societal values amid geopolitical tension. These are not abstract concerns. The way universities and funding bodies in India evaluate researchers will be shaped by debates happening at these venues right now.

Building a professional network 🔗

For a young scholar, the networking function may be the most important of all. The ISSI society explicitly notes that its conferences stimulate the kind of scholarly conversations that may lead to international collaboration. A doctoral student who presents a poster at COLLNET, attends a SIG/MET discussion, and later submits to ISSI builds a network that carries through an entire career. Co-authorships, joint projects, and access to data sources frequently begin with a conversation over coffee at one of these meetings.

The practical advice for someone starting out is straightforward. Begin with the more accessible regional events such as COLLNET or society-led workshops, where the barrier to entry is lower and feedback is generous. Use these to refine your work and your confidence. Then aim for the flagship ISSI and STI-ENID conferences, where presenting establishes your standing in the global community. Throughout, treat the corridor conversations and poster sessions as seriously as the keynote lectures, because that is where lasting professional relationships are formed.

What do you think? If you were attending your first scientometrics conference, would you prioritise a large international event like ISSI for its prestige, or a focused regional meeting like COLLNET for its accessibility and closer interaction? And as research evaluation increasingly shapes academic careers in India, how much influence should these global conferences have on the indicators used to judge local research?

References

1. https://www.issi-society.org/about/
2. https://www.issi-society.org/conferences/
3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-022-04558-5
4. https://www.academia.edu/53749492/The_17th_International_Conference_on_Scientometrics_and_Informetrics
5. https://issi2025.iiap.sci.am/
6. https://www.cwts.nl/news?article=n-s2w2b4&title=cwts-to-host-the-sti-enid-conference-2023-27-29-sept
7. https://www.digital-science.com/events/sti-enid-conference-2025/
8. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-022-04490-8
9. https://www.asist.org/sig/sigmet/news/
10. https://www.issi-society.org/workshops/
11. http://slp.org.in/COLLNET/
12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304067623_Report_of_The_11th_International_Conference_on_Webometrics_Informetrics_and_Scientometrics_WIS_16th_COLLNET_Meeting_November_26-28_2015_New_Delhi_India_Hosted_by_Institute_of_Economic_Growth_Universit
13. https://www.digital-science.com/events/sti-enid-conference-2026/