DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPOSITE PERFORMANCE INDEX FOR EVALUATING SCHOLARLY DATABASES

Purpose - The rapid growth of scholarly databases has increased the need for a standardized framework to evaluate their overall performance. This study develops a Composite Performance Index (CPI) to assess major scholarly databases based on multiple bibliometric, technical, and usability criteria for supporting research discovery and impact assessment. Design/methodology/approach - The study adopts a qualitative research design by reviewing bibliometric literature, scholarly database documentation, and research evaluation frameworks. A Composite Performance Index is proposed by integrating weighted evaluation criteria, including literature coverage, citation quality, indexing reliability, accessibility, research visibility, analytical features, and usability. Findings - The proposed Composite Performance Index provides a structured and comprehensive approach for evaluating scholarly databases. The framework demonstrates that databases differ considerably across evaluation dimensions and that a composite index offers a balanced method for measuring overall database performance. Practical implications - The Composite Performance Index serves as a practical decision-support tool for researchers, librarians, publishers, universities, and policymakers in selecting appropriate scholarly databases for literature discovery, citation analysis, and research evaluation. Originality/value - The study proposes an original Composite Performance Index that integrates multiple evaluation criteria into a single performance measure, offering a systematic and transparent approach for assessing scholarly databases.