Research Impact and Metrics

What is research impact?

Research impact is the traceable influence that a scholarly output can have in and beyond academia.

What are research metrics?

Research metrics or research impact metrics are quantitative measures that give values to scholarly outputs.

Why measure or describe your research impact?

  • Show your individual or collective productivity and impact
  • Measure how others have cited your work in publications and patents
  • Demonstrate your network of collaborators using grant or publication data
  • Compare your impact metrics with current or aspirational peers
  • Increase likelihood of future funding by illustrating the value of your research.

Learn more about...

This guide provides basic information to get you started, an overview of the more common measures, tools you can use to understand research impact, and tips for how to maximize research impact. For more information or assistance, meet with a librarian or Ask Us.