Purpose: This paper seeks to show the limitations of citation analysis to measure the quality of scientific contributions, also exploring the consequences of the assessment of research performance for educational institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The study reviews the literature about citation and assessment of the research endeavour to identify problems that clearly affect the administration of the institutions of higher education. Findings: Citation and other metrics are being used increasingly by the educational administration. Citation indexes can be considered as useful indicators, but they do not represent the quality of research. For this reason, bibliometric measurement cannot be the essential part of academic appraisal. Originality/value: The paper highlights the fact that administrators in higher education institutions and academic authorities need to be conscious of the essential role of peer review.