RRI.CO.ID, Yogyakarta - The Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is encouraging the development of more comprehensive bibliometrics to support data-driven decision-making in national research management. Director of Repositories, Multimedia, and Scientific Publishing at BRIN, Hendro Subagyo, made the statement at the 2026 International Conference on Bibliometric Indonesia (I-KOBAIN) in Yogyakarta on Monday, July 27, 2026.

He also emphasized that conventional indicators such as the H-index, number of citations, and institutional rankings do not adequately reflect the real contributions of researchers or the actual capacity of a research institution. He stated that researchers with the most strategic roles in scientific collaborations are not always listed as first authors or come from highly ranked institutions.

Therefore, BRIN believes it is necessary to develop new metrics capable of identifying key researcher roles, collaboration networks, competencies, and research facility support. According to Hendro, this approach will provide a more comprehensive picture of the strength of the research ecosystem in Indonesia.

Furthermore, Hendro emphasized that bibliometrics should not only be a tool for evaluating publication productivity but also a strategic instrument for formulating research directions and research policies. Optimal use of publication data and scientific archives, he said, will result in more accurate policies than decisions based solely on intuition.

He added that research success should be measured by its impact on solving national problems and improving public welfare, not solely by publication achievements or academic rankings. Therefore, new indicators are needed to gauge the real impact of research results on national development.

Meanwhile, the head of the KOBAIN community, Heriyanto, assessed the conference as relevant amidst the rapid growth of global scientific publications, which opens up significant opportunities for understanding scientific developments. However, he cautioned that the data is only valuable if analyzed using an appropriate bibliometric approach, as publication metrics alone are insufficient to reflect research quality.

The committee chairman of the 2026 International Conference on Bibliometric Indonesia (I-KOBAIN), Zalik Nuryana, reported that the conference, a continuation of last year's event at Muhammadiyah University of Sidoarjo, was attended by more than 180 participants and presented over 40 scientific papers. This year BRIN co-hosted the conference with Ahmad Dahlan University and partners iGroup, Elsevier, and Taylor & Francis Group, featuring national and international speakers such as Mike Thelwall from the University of Sheffield and Andreas Halman from the University of Melbourne.