Giovanni Abramo - Head of the Laboratory for Studies in Research Evaluation, Institute for System Analysis and Computer Science (IASI–CNR), National Research Council of Italy. Address: Via dei Taurini, 19, 00185 Roma, Italy. E-mail: giovanni.abramo@uniroma2.it

This work provides a critical examination of the most popular bibliometric indicators and methodologies to assess the research performance of individuals and institutions. The aim is to raise the fog and make practitioners more aware of the inherent risks in do-it-myself practices, or cozy out-of-the-shelf solutions to the difficult question of how to evaluate research. The manuscript also proposes what we believe is the correct approach to bibliometric evaluation of research performance.