Webometrics: emergent or doomed?

Introduction. For some years bibliometric studies have identified webometrics as one of the largest information science fields. Nevertheless, most published webometric research is relatively theoretical and, as a new research field, seems unlikely to survive unless it is useful in some way. In general it is very important for academics to identify hot research topics and avoid unpromising ones and so methods are needed to help this identification process. Method. This article uses citation analysis and a survey of webometricians to assess the extent to which webometrics has found applications outside of its parent discipline. Results. The results suggest that there has been a turn towards applied webometrics with several externally-financed studies being contracted. Moreover, there is a significant amount of citation of webometrics research by disciplines outside information science, including computing, communication science and health. Nevertheless, it seems that the potential user base for current webometric techniques is wider still, creating a need for awareness-raising. Conclusions. Whilst webometrics already has several claims to usefulness, there is still progress to be made.