What is meant by 'Research Impact'?
Researchers and academic staff are often asked to demonstrate the impact of their research in applications for academic promotions, grant applications and many other contexts. Impact refers to both academic and research impact, which reflects the academic quality of outputs and the broader contributions to policy, industry, or society.
The use of quantitative indicators and alternative metrics can be a way of supporting claims about the impact of research work and expert assessment.
This section of the guide will help you find data and evidence of your research publications' impact on other academics, policymakers, and end users.
What are 'Research Metrics'?
Research metrics are indicators used to help assess the impact of research outputs. Traditional metrics are citation-based, whereas altmetrics use data from various sources to measure research influence. Publication numbers, citations, and views are all examples of metrics.
Metrics should be used appropriately and ethically; it is important to be mindful of their limitations, some of which include:
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Metrics are numbers derived from citations. They are not a measure of research quality.
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Citation patterns vary across disciplines and cannot be compared directly; field-normalised metrics consider the differences in research behaviour and allow comparison across disciplines.
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Not all metrics are appropriate for all disciplines.
The video and links below provide guidelines on using metrics when assessing research impact.
- The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) An initiative to improve how researchers and the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated
- The Metric Tide: Review of Metrics in Research Assessment: Executive Summary and Recommendations An independent review of the role of metrics in research assessment and management