I am a Scientometrician with a Bachelor's Degree in Information Science from the University of Extremadura, Spain, where I graduated with First Class Honours and received the Award for Best Academic Record in my cohort. Following this, I presented my BSc thesis and was honoured with the Bachelor's Degree Extraordinary Award in 2011.

I completed my PhD in Bibliometrics in 2012, with my thesis titled "Study of Scientific Citation Flows and their Relationship with Impact Indicators." This work was conducted at the University of Extremadura under the supervision of Professor Vicente P. Guerrero Bote and as part of the SCImago research group. In 2014, I was awarded the Extraordinary PhD Award, which recognises the best academic records and doctoral theses at the university.

Additionally, I have led the Bibliometrics Service at the University of Leeds and served as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Scientometrics and Research Analytics at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, under the supervision of Professor Francisco J. Cantú Ortiz, an expert in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. Prior to that, I held several research assistant positions at various institutions, including the BAC Research Group on Bibliometrics at the Institució Centres de Recerca de Catalunya (iCERCA), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and the University of Malaga in Spain.

Citation analysis is my primary research focus and area of expertise. However, I have also produced articles that focus on factors influencing the research productivity of countries, bibliometric mappings of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and questionable publishing practices.

I am the Chair of the LIS Bibliometrics Committee, a group of bibliometrics practitioners and researchers who actively support the global bibliometrics community. We organise the annual international LIS Bibliometrics Conference.

I also serve as Chair of the Digital Visualisation (Data) - ATE Cross-School Working Group.

I, together with the Responsible Research Metrics Group (RRMG), was honored to receive the Responsible Research and Innovation Award at the University of Leeds Research Culture Awards in 2022 for our project titled "Leading Change in the Responsible Use of Research Metrics."

For info about my author name: my name is Bárbara, and my middle name is Sandra. I am Spanish, Lancho Barrantes is my surname.

• Citation analysis
• Scientific collaboration 
• Citation network analysis
• Information retrieval
• Data visualisation
• Research Integrity in scholarly communication
• Regression analysis, factor analysis, and machine learning
• Mappings of scientific production
• Sustainable development goals (SDGs)
• Information Security, Cyber Security

I create an interactive, participatory, and engaging learning environment that fosters collaboration and promotes a student-centered, inclusive approach. My goal is to empower students to take ownership of their learning while valuing diverse perspectives and fostering a sense of belonging.

My teaching integrates research-based inquiry to cultivate students’ ability to learn independently and think critically.

Supervision Opportunities in Bibliometrics & Scientometrics

I welcome PhD, Master's, and undergraduate students interested in exploring the dynamic landscape of scholarly communication, research evaluation, and science policy through the lens of bibliometrics and scientometrics. My supervision integrates data analytics, machine learning, and open science principles to address pressing questions in global research ecosystems.

Some research ideas:

• Science & Economy Nexus

  • Investigate how economic indicators influence scientific output across countries, institutions, and disciplines.

• Citation Dynamics

  • Citation flows between collaborating nations or institutions. Citation networks and their evolution over time.

• Global Research Collaborations

  • Study patterns of collaboration at institutional, national, and international levels. Examine the role of geopolitical factors in shaping research partnerships.

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  • Quantify research contributions to specific SDGs. Conduct gender-based analyses of SDG-related publications.

• Cybersecurity & Scientometrics

  • Assess the resilience of research infrastructures to cyber threats. Protecting information systems, publication data integrity, and digital infrastructure.

• Horizon Scanning & Emerging Topics & Mapping Science

  • Predictive models to identify emerging research areas and detect changes in scientific discourse. Through innovative visualisations to uncover hidden structures in science.

• Mobility & Collaboration

  • Analyse the connection between international mobility and collaborative outputs. Use author affiliation data to track research migration patterns and the impact on productivity.

• Research Integrity

  • Examine the proliferation and influence of predatory journals, questionable publishing practices, citation integrity issues, and paper mills.

• Institutional Research Profiles

  • Analysis of the research preferences of the higher education institutions based on publication and citation indicators. Assess institutional strategies for enhancing scientific productivity.

PhD Supervision Experience

• Lead PhD Supervisor for Minsoo Kim — Developing a Citation Prediction Model (October 2025 - Ongoing)

• Host Supervisor for Niliek Silva Ales, Visiting Doctoral Research Student, University Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) (April–July 2025).