Research metrics are quantitative tools that can be used to help measure the impact of research. They can be used in a variety of ways, including as evidence in job applications and grant funding opportunities. Research metrics are not an alternative to expert knowledge, and no single metric should be used in isolation. Metrics can be author level, article level or journal level.
An ORCID iD is free to obtain. It is a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from every other researcher in the world. You can use it to list all your professional information (affiliations, grants, publications, peer review etc). The ORCID iD is widely recognised and easily shared with a broad range of systems, which can save you time and reduce the risk of errors.
ORCiD (as well as other sources) can help assess Scholarly Output as an indication of researcher productivity. Results will vary in different database sources and comparisons should only be made from a single source.
Google Scholar is a freely available web search engine. It specifically searches for scholarly literature and academic resources across a broad range of disciplines.
Google Scholar metrics can be used to analyse and view metrics for groups of publications; to find article and journal metrics; to locate high performing papers; to view researcher metrics and profiles; to track citations.
Researchers can create Google Scholar profile for free, to collate and easily obtain metrics for publications. This is recommended by CHQ Library as additional to an ORCID iD, not an alternative. Google Scholar profile information can be exported to ORCID.
Google Scholar is also useful to find citation metrics; ie the Google scholar “cited by” number after entry.
Google Scholar (as well as other sources) can help assess Scholarly Output as an indication of researcher productivity. Results will vary in different database sources and comparisons should only be made from a single source.
SJR: Scimago journal and country ratings analyse and view metrics for publications by title or topic. This site uses quartile ratings to rate journals (researchers should aim to be published in Q1 or Q2 journals), and ranks quality of publications by country using range of metrics.
SJR can be used to find a journal's impact factor, which is a journal-level metric that measures the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in a particular year.
SJR can also be used to find a journal's h-index, which is a metric that reflects a journal's productivity and impact.
“Publish or Perish” is a software program that retrieves and analyses citations and presents a range of citation metrics, including the number of papers, total citations and the h-index. It seeds to be installed in order to be used.
Journal websites often provide journal-level metrics indicating the quality of the journal, as well as article-level metrics.
Citation metrics eg Google scholar “cited by” number after entry; also often available on journal websites
Alternative metrics are a record of attention. This type of metric measures how many people have been exposed to and/or engaged with a scholarly output. May include mentions on news sites, blogs, Twitter, pageviews, downloads etc. They are often built into a journal or database site eg the Altmetrics donut or PlumX metrics. CHQ has a subscription to Altmetrics. Contact the CHQ Library for more information.
h-index is an author-level metric that considers the number or papers and subsequent citations of an individual researcher. A “good” h-index depends on how long a researcher has been publishing. You can find a h-index on "Publish or Perish".
Scholarly Output is an indication of researcher productivity. Use ORCID or Google Scholar (results will vary in different database sources. Comparisons should only be made from a single source).
If you have an enrolment or affiliation with another institution, you may be able to access other metrics tools, such as Web of Science; InCites; Scopus (including SNIP); Scival. The CHQ Library does not have access to these products and cannot provide advice or further information about them.
Research metrics can be used in grant and funding applications, as well as job applications. They support your resume as a researcher and help collate your experience and areas of research expertise.
You can compile a broad range of metrics to support your application. Your ORCID ID is an excellent place to store and update this information. This can then be linked to in your application.
REMEMBER - Research metrics are not an alternative to expert knowledge, and do not tell the whole story. No single research metric should be used in isolation.
Establish your researcher identity: obtaining a ORCID ID and Google Scholar profile are great places to start.
Use a publishing strategy: this should include considering open access publication, choosing the right journal and using the correct affiliations.
Let the CHQ Librarian and Research Metrics Manager know you have published an article (or the library at your institution).
Present your published findings at conferences and seminars.
Share your achievements on social media.
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