Demystifying research impact metrics and library support

Editor's Notes

• #4: We will cover metrics, altmetrics…and tools used to measure these metrics. We will define: Metrics as the raw data used to measure research output Look at your personal academic brand and your PLN (Personal Learning Network) Library support via library webpage such as research lifecycle and journal finder
• #5: Change in terms Western Sydney University is using new terminology around research impact to reflect changes in the national and international arena The focus now is not so much impact but academic contribution to the field What is research impact? What is research – new knowledge and new information How can it have an impact – by changing knowledge and by changing behaviour Changing Knowledge – a lot of research knowledge is contained/represented in academic publications influence research has on changing knowledge is ‘measured’ by examining how one publication has influenced/changed that papers that came after By citing others researchers give an indication of how much it has changed knowledge Measuring impact is tricky. It is an abstract concept and is like measuring ‘cool’. However stubbornly wants to answer the question. Outcomes are measurable in various ways which we will discuss. Often it is down to the impact stories and conversation afterwards. Metrics could include: Journal metrics (journal quality indicators such as the ABDL of journals, citation counts etc) Book metrics (citations, number of copies in libraries, book sales, book reviews etc) Researcher metrics (h-index, alternative metrics such as Twitter followers, media interviews etc) Altmetrics (articles downloads, twitter mentions, blog mentions etc) Impact may be aspirational or realised and could include: Changes to policy or practice Health benefits Etc
• #6: The impact of researchers is measured to determine employment/promotion/funding suitability/collaboration potential. It is measured in three main ways: Assessing the publication source (e.g. journal or book) Assessing the research (e.g. citation analysis) Assessing the researcher Categories of metrics: 1 metrics focused on individual scholarly contribution – ie number of times article cited 2 metrics focused on the venues that produce scholarly contribution i.e journal 3 metrics focused on author output over time e.g. H-index 4 Metrics focused on institution reporting - HERDC
• #7: Citation counts (Your cites per paper compared to field) are seen as the best approximation of academic standing in the field. We can count citations, book and article bibliographies – this is just information about citation patterns – however we need to tell stories around these metrics to see real impact. Counting jelly beans…and the number of times your beans (article) have been taken and used in another jar (Journal). Scopus and Google Scholar are two of the largest databases covering citation tracking. H-Index is a widely used indicator of research career performance, particularly in fields where journal publications are the accepted indicator of high impact. The higher the h-index the better but should be used in the context of your field. An h-index of 10 means 10 of your publications have been cited 10 times or more.
• #8: What do we mean by journal metrics. When a journal has an impact factor of three what we mean is that in the last three years this journal averaged three citations per published article. Continuing metaphor – journal is the venue storing articles or beans – metrics is showing how many times in other jars. The research quality of journal articles may be measured in many ways including: Journal quality (Official Impact Factor / appearance on ERA list are two measures) Live demo in JCR… Coverage by abstracting services available from Ulrich's Periodicals Directory Live demo of Ulrichs… Citation analysis (number of citations and analysis of citing sources e.g. who is citing your work and where, cites per paper). Open access publishing provides new standards and levels of dissemmination. ABDC (Australian Business Deans Council) list is also another measure of journal quality.
• #9: Researchers will need to move beyond the limits of citation-based impact indicators. The landscape of academic knowledge is rapidly changing – e.g. more interdisciplinary, more online, more pressure to do research. To meet changes in scholarly practice, audiences and scholarly environment we need to embrace a fuller spectrum of impact available to academics. For instance we can incorporate alternative web-based metrics into our scholarly practice and portfolios. Need to understand the value Altmetrics can have for mapping modern impact landscape. Means to collect metrics different from past and opportunity to understand in new context. Altmetrics can assist promotional discussions around academic connecting and collaborating with others. Also can look for influence outside of formal scholarly communities and assist with information overload. Live demo Scopus search and Altmetric indicator e.g. Suzan Burton new smoke spots article tweeted 18 times, show Tobacco Control article 2015, vol 24 issue 3. Live demo of Sheree Twitter account – conversation article – show twitter retweets and Linkedin shares.
• #10: It’s important to manage your identity to ensure others have a complete picture of your research output and metrics. Creating and Maintaining an ORCID ID and a Google Scholar profile are good ways to achieve this. Get visible or vanish’ is as important as ‘publish or perish’. Academic Social Networking Sites such as ResearchGate and Linkedin are useful tools to increase visibility. ORCID – provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from other researchers. Your Business Librarian can assist with setting these up and maintaining.
• #11: Library is well placed to assist as we work with the information based tools, provide research impact reports to assist with promotion and our research team work with admin for grant applications.
• #12: Show research lifecycle Funding – Research Metrics Service Publishing – Publishing Strategic publishing of your research findings has professional and institutional implications:  Professional Increases the visibility of your research and raises your research profile. Is a consideration when applying for grants, promotions or new positions. Is often a requirement or expectation of employment in an academic or research institution. Institutional Directly impacts government funding HERDC Directly impacts reputation Excellence for Research in Australia (ERA)
• #13: Library can provide metrics reports for grant applications with 4 weeks notice. With the metrics reports explain how to cherry-pick the best information to create their narratives. Check out who has cited their work – better to say professor x the leading expert in the field has cited my work rather than I have 5 citations.   Library can also assist with your narratives to focus on the right metrics and highlight best impact.
• #14: Journal Finder is a new useful tool to assist with targeting where to publish. The portal brings together author metrics, journal citation tracking and other journal publishing links. Deciding where to publish in the first place is the first step towards a good track record. Ask the Business Librarian for a demonstration
• #15: New Western Sydney Uni open access policy is now being consulted. Several studies have shown making your work openly available can increase citations. Any queries here to lib-research@uws.edu.au  Show link to library website – research – open access http://library.westernsydney.edu.au/uws_library/researchers/open-access
• #16: See your specialist Business Librarian or Research Services Co-ordinator.
• #17: Support always available…