The aim of the research impact guide is to provide scholarly researchers with an introduction to the use of bibliometrics to evaluate research impact. Furthermore, the tools used to retrieve the bibliometric information and to aid in placing the metrics in context are highlighted. It is highly recommended that scholarly researchers combine quantitative metrics with qualitative measures, such as the peer review of published articles and other scholarly output, when evaluating research and researcher impact. In short, there is debate about the use of bibliometrics as bibliometrics have limitations.
Begin exploring bibliometrics by creating multiple Research IDs as they are the gateway to accessing some of the traditional metrics - author, article and journal metrics - and keeping track of your research output - ORCID iD. Newer alternative metrics or Altmetrics generally captures the social media attention the research has received along with any web based analytics.
To navigate the use of bibliometrics and qualitative evaluation to measure research impact, the Leiden Manifesto, and the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) provide principles and recommendations.
The Leiden Manifesto was published in 2015 and it outlined ten principles to utilize for research evaluation. The following video provides an overview of the article.
The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) was published in 2013. The document provides eighteen recommendations for the use of bibliometrics describing research assessment. For more information about DORA check out their web site.
The following video provides an introduction to DORA.
From the United Kingdom is a 2016 publication entitled "The Metric Tide: the Independent Review of the Role of Metrics in Research Assessment and Management". Outlined in the ebook are twenty recommendations to be considered for research assessment.
