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Controversy
What are the right methods for determining the impact that research has had? The proper assessment of the impact of particular articles, authors, journals, and even institutions, has been the subject of much controversy and scholarly discussion.
A number of organizations and scholars advocate for the responsible application of metrics in the research evaluation process. Some believe that journal metrics in particular carry too much weight in hiring and funding decisions.
Some ongoing projects that aim to ensure that research impact is evaluated fairly include:
Further Readings
Further readings:
- Hatch, A., & Patterson, M. (2019). How journals and publishers can help to reform research assessment. Science Editor, Retrieved from https://www.csescienceeditor.org/article/how-journals-and-publishers-can-help-to-reform-research-assessment/
- How to improve the use of metrics. (2010). Nature, 465, 870. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1038/465870a
- MacRoberts, M. H. and MacRoberts, B. R. (2018). The mismeasure of science: Citation analysis. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 69: 474-482. doi:10.1002/asi.23970
- McKiernan EC, Schimanski LA, Muñoz Nieves C, Matthias L, Niles MT, Alperin JP. (2019). Use of the Journal Impact Factor in academic review, promotion, and tenure evaluations. PeerJ Preprints 7:e27638v2 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.27638v2
- Taylor, M. (2016). Metrics and the social contract: Using numbers, preserving humanity. Retrieved from https://www.digital-science.com/blog/perspectives/metrics-social-contract-using-numbers-preserving-humanity/
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Guide Authors
Paula Carey
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pac@bu.edu
Mary Foppiani
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Barbara Maratos
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bkmarato@bu.edu
Kate Silfen
Health Sciences Librarian
ksilfen@bu.edu
Dan Benedetti
Head, Pickering Education Resources Library
benededa@bu.edu