The "Metrics Literacies" project of the Canadian "Scholarly Communications Lab" laid conceptual foundations for describing and teaching scientometric competencies. "Metrics literacies" are defined as an integrated set of competencies, attitudes, and knowledge that enables individuals to recognize, interpret, critically evaluate, and apply scientific metrics in a scientifically ethical manner. The project publishes its results on Zenodo.
This competency model for bibliometrics distinguishes four dimensions: field knowledge, responsibilities and tasks, technical skills, and professional integrity. For each of the four dimensions, it specifies which competencies should typically be present at the novice, intermediate, and expert levels.
This article describes the empirical derivation of the aforementioned competency model. It is based on a survey of practitioners in the bibliometric field. The results show that bibliometrics is increasingly embedded in the research support sector, with a growing need for training and professional competence in the responsible application of bibliometric methods.