LibGuides: Research Impact: Introduction

What is Research Impact?

Research impact is the demonstrable contribution that research makes to academia and society. Research impact is often measured by either the author, article, or journal. This guide provides information about how you can measure your research impact and potentially increase it by participating in research communities, publishing your research open access, and sharing research data in an open access repository.

There is no universal agreement on how to measure research impact.
Research impact metrics, along with other criteria, can help you determine the importance of a particular piece of research.
How we interpret research metrics depends on the discipline and area of research.
New metrics are frequently created to improve upon existing metrics.
Research metrics are flawed and can amplify inequity regarding who is and is not cited.

Research impact can:

Strengthen your case when you apply for promotion or tenure
Quantify return on research investment for grant renewals and progress reports
Strengthen future funding requests by showing the value of your research
Identify who is using your work and confirm that it is appropriately credited
Identify collaborators within or outside of your subject area

Acknowledgements

The guides below were influential in the creation of this guide:

Measuring Your Research Impact
A guide from UNC Health Sciences Library
Measuring Your Research Impact
A guide from Cornell University Library
Berkeley Library Measuring Research Impact