Scholarly Impact: Home

Contact your library liaison for more information. 

Make sure your publications are tied to your unique identity by registering with these services:

1. ORCID - This non-profit organization provides an identifier researchers can use across multiple platforms. 
2. RESEARCHERID - Primarily used to track publications within Web Of Science.  This is free to use and allows you to accurately build a list of your own publications in Web of Science.  You can associate your ORCID with this account as well.
3. Create a Google Scholar Citation Profile:  Creating a profile does not require a Google Account.  Researchers can track their citations, and users can view your profile, including scholar ranking metrics like H-Index. Keep in mind that citations reported by Google Scholar are derived from their index, which includes dissertations, theses, and other non-published or non-peer reviewed work.  Mis-attributions of articles are also common, as well as duplicate versions and citations. So be sure to closely monitor articles attributed to you.

Number of total citations from ATU affiliated authors, 2003-2019, retrieved from Web of Science September 2019

There are many tools available to measure scholarly impact. This includes the impact of an article, a journal, or an author. These tools, when used properly, can help the researcher:

• Determine impact of an article, book, journal, or other scholarly item
• Compare publication averages with peers in the same field and in the same career level
• Identify suitable venues of publication for their work
• Track latest research within a field
• Identify and collaborate with other scholars working on the same research problems
• Prepare an impact story for grant proposals, promotion & tenure, or departmental or university assessment

While citation metrics can provide some quantitative indication for the relative value of work, all measures have flaws and subjective qualities. To use citation metrics responsibly:

• Do NOT use citation counts & averages alone to determine overall impact.  A variety of sources should be consulted, both qualitative as well as quantitative to tell an impact story.
• Do not compare the metrics of works or authors across disciplines. 
• Each number is contextual to the source.  When citing a citation measurement, the source of the data should always be reported.
• Every citation measure can be gamed.
• There is no one source for ALL citations.

RESULTS MAY VARY!  Consult your librarian when in doubt.

The world of scholarly publishing is constantly changing.  Stay informed with these recommended blogs, news sites, and journals: