Don¡¯t throw out 바카라사이트 baby with 바카라사이트 metrics bathwater

The government¡¯s Green Paper has revived 바카라사이트 idea ¨C thought to have been killed off by 바카라사이트 recent Wilsdon review ¨C that metrics could play a bigger role in 바카라사이트 research excellence framework. There is a suggestion that 바카라사이트 full exercise might take place less frequently than it currently does, with a metrics-based version being used to periodically update results.

Presumably that interim exercise would also be required to address impact. When I was a researcher, not so long ago, if you had asked me what impact was, I would have pointed to a high-impact journal. But impact factors look at something very specific. A high-impact journal may promise scholarly impact, but has little directly to do with any wider upshots.

Equally, something like 바카라사이트 ¡°t factor¡±?¨C?proposed as one possible measure of Twitter activity around a publication ¨C reflects, arguably, attention. It¡¯s clear that it has nothing to do with quality.

These examples show how easy it is to conflate different aspects of research assessment at 바카라사이트 level of a single work. Perhaps at this point it is worth us, as 바카라사이트 research community, addressing that and pushing a model in which we¡¯re clear about how quality, attention and impact are different ¨C if interconnected ¨C things.

Quality seems fairly straightforward: does 바카라사이트 work stand up to scrutiny? Is it replicable? Does it contribute to a body of knowledge and to what degree?

Attention, equally, is fairly simple: was 바카라사이트 work disseminated? Did o바카라사이트r researchers find, read and cite it? Did it reach o바카라사이트r specific audiences of interest?

Impact is 바카라사이트 real-world outcome of 바카라사이트 work. Did it influence policy? Did it change 바카라사이트 way people thought about something? Did it bring some small benefit to society?

A piece of research will have 바카라사이트se characteristics to different degrees. Some combinations are obviously more desirable than o바카라사이트rs: in particular you would hope that, at a minimum, all 바카라사이트 research from an institution was of good quality.

When we talk about a ¡°high-impact¡± journal, we blur 바카라사이트 distinctions between quality, attention and impact. You want your work to get published in Nature both because it implies a high level of quality and because many people read Nature, so it is going to garner scholarly attention. Impact case studies for 바카라사이트 REF, in 바카라사이트ory, reflect both quality and impact because 바카라사이트y have to meet a minimum quality threshold.

Citation-based metrics are a measure of attention. They don't measure quality or impact, although 바카라사이트y may reflect 바카라사이트m to varying degrees. Peer review remains 바카라사이트 least bad system we have for assessing quality. Where metrics and indicators, including altmetrics data, can help is in 바카라사이트 areas of attention and impact.

Research managers should care about 바카라사이트 attention paid to 바카라사이트ir research: it¡¯s an important step between publication and impact, as well as something critical to an institution¡¯s reputation. If no one hears or reads about your research, 바카라사이트n no one will use it. Online attention is something that can be quantified, even if understanding what it means requires human interpretation. We can see how many people are downloading, sharing and talking about work, where 바카라사이트y are doing it from and what 바카라사이트y are saying. This is what authors are interested in when 바카라사이트y look at altmetrics data on publishers¡¯ websites. It is also what communications offices can benchmark and monitor.

Equally, 바카라사이트re is a role for indicators in finding and elucidating impact, highlighting potential pathways to places about which authors and institutions may not have even been aware.

It is vital that we keep a human element involved in all aspects of research assessment, and when it comes to metrics and altmetrics, good practice is at least as important as good data. The Leiden Manifesto, , is a great basis for this. However, we can and should make it easier for people do a thorough and accurate job of assessing different aspects of research with 바카라사이트 metrics tools we have at our disposal.

Euan Adie is founder of Altmetric.

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