Unfortunately, the impact or contribution that research makes can't be measured in a simple formula, it's too big, too diverse. Researchers should employ a more nuanced approach, combining both traditional quantitative measures and qualitative storytelling to craft narratives about how research makes a difference in society. Therefore--please take impact metrics with a grain of salt and remain skeptical of attempts to reduce the worth of your work into a single "score."
Additionally, when you do leverage a quantitative measure, be certain you understand what it is and is not intended to measure, and be certain that its intended purpose matches your purpose in using it. If it isn't a good fit, find a different tool to illustrate or articulate your work's contributions.
The Leiden Manifesto proposes 10 principles for the responsible measurement of research performance; other statements, such as the San Francisco Declaration and Hong Kong Principles, also seek to establish rules and best practices for valuing diverse types of research contributions and evaluating researchers fairly and responsibly.
When integrating metrics into CVs or for other purposes, be sure to consider the wide array of possible metrics and choose those which are most appropriate to your work, your discipline, and the purpose for which these metrics are being shared.
Areas of research impact could include:
Citation behaviors (and thus citation rates) vary greatly between disciplines. Understand the normal citation patterns in your field to maintain the proper perspective on citations of your own work.
For example, if your discipline places an emphasis on publishing books which may take ten years to garner a citation, you may be less concerned whether your book receives citations within one year of publication. On the other hand, if your discipline centers around the publication of journal articles, and the majority of research receives at least one citation within its first year, then you will have different expectations for your work.
The article below explains more about the differences among disciplines in citation culture and citation rates.
Dimensions.ai
Dimensions is large but not necessarily comprehensive. If it includes your article, you will see how many citations it has identified. You may have been cited by additional works that are not indexed by Dimensions. This is one source to use in compiling data on your published articles.
Google Scholar
Learn about some other articles that have cited your published article.
Google Scholar is vast but not necessarily comprehensive. If it includes your article, you will see how many citations you have had from other articles that are also included in Google Scholar. You may have been cited by additional works that are not included in Google Scholar. This is one source to use in compiling data on your published articles.
Publish or Perish - A Better Source of Google Scholar Data
This is a FREE software package from Anne-Wil Harzing, Professor of International Management at Middlesex University, London. It leverages citation data from sources such as Google Scholar, but lets you query, interact with, and download that data in unique ways. Metrics available in Publish or Perish include total citations, average citations per paper or author, age-weighted citation rates, h-index, g-index, and more. The software can be downloaded for Windows, Mac OS X, or GNU/Linux.
Web of Science
Learn what other researchers are citing your published work to provide evidence of your impact as a researcher in your field.
Web of Science is not comprehensive. If another articles cited you and is also included in Web of Science, then you will see that citation. You may have been cited by additional works that are not included in Web of Science. This is just one source to include in your compilation of data on your published articles.
This video tutorial, created by the Georgia Institute of Technology, gives a brief demonstration of using Web of Science to do a Cited Reference Search (in other words, to find out who is citing your paper!).
Policy Commons
What are Altmetrics?
Alternative metrics, or altmetrics, are evidence of scholarship being discussed online. This includes links, shares, views, and downloads in social media, blogs, and other venues, which can demonstrate popular or societal impact in areas such as education, public policy, etc. Altmetrics are meant to complement more traditional article citation counts.
How to Use Altmetrics
In choosing which metrics to report and how to report them, you must make decisions that best suit your work, your discipline, and your department. Altmetrics may be one element of telling your story; these resources will help you understand how to explain them and incorporate them into documentation.
Finding Altmetrics with Dimensions.ai
Image captured 8-Sep-2022 from Dimensions
Many traditional metrics are limited to journal articles, but there are other ways to demonstrate the impact of your book publication.
How Many Library Hold My Book?
WorldCat is essentially a combined library catalog for hundreds of thousands of libraries around the world. Search for your book in WorldCat to see how many participating libraries have added your book to their collections. You might even pull the names of a few institutions you consider meaningful or prestigious that hold your work.
Syllabi Adoptions
Report that your book has been assigned as required or optional reading in other professors' syllabi--this can show impact on education in your discipline. Open Syllabus will allow you to search for your work and (if found) see the number of syllabi that reference it.
Read more: What do syllabi-based altmetrics actually mean?
Note: This project is not a comprehensive database of all university syllabi. Free usage may be limited in duration.
Book Reviews (Scholarly, Professional, Popular)
What Is the H-Index?
Advantages of the H-Index
Disadvantages / Warnings
Where to Find H-Index
Caveat
Possible Alternatives to H-index (but with their own weaknesses)
Your Story as the Framework
Metrics are meaningless without appropriate context. Your story should always come FIRST; then add data as appropriate to support the narrative.
First write out your story in clear language, as you might tell it to a family member who asks why your work matters. How do you describe your researcher identity? Who is your audience, and what is the significance of your work to that audience? How does your work fit into the culture, values, or goals of your discipline? Your institution?
Then carefully collect appropriate, relevant metrics that provide evidence for the value described in your story. Integrate these metrics into your story, being sure to explain clearly what they are and what they indicate.
Aspects to Consider
Data Visualizations
In addition to specific metrics, consider what data visualizations might be helpful. Bar charts, pie charts, geographical maps, network maps?
Anecdotes
Seek strong anecdotes to accompany numbers, especially with altmetrics--for example, share one thoughtful and substantive tweet about your work from an important peer in your field. Anecdotes help to illustrate quality of attention, rather than quantity alone.
Frameworks, Processes, and Examples
The following frameworks may be helpful in deciding how to compile and communicate a well-rounded array of metrics.
Some Narrative Excerpt Examples (Fictional / Idealized)
“My research audience is primarily PK-6 teachers in disadvantaged public schools. They are unlikely to have access to expensive, high-impact scholarly journals, so 95% of my work has either been originally published in, or had a layman’s version published in, popular teacher magazines and/or open-access journals.”
“I’ve already been contacted by teachers at 3 separate schools who want to implement my ___ intervention, and they believe my work will make a difference for their students.”
“My work is effectively reaching and sparking discussions among influential members of the field, as evidenced by [influential person] attending my conference presentation and tweeting her support for my conclusions and recommendations.”
“My work has been cited in 5 reports and/or policy statements authored by the Department of Education, which are likely to influence the trajectory of public education over the next decade.”
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