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The Graduate Health & Life Sciences Research Library at Georgetown University Medical Center

Research Impact: Promoting and Measuring

With this guide, learn why and how to promote your research and gauge its impact.

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Measure Impact Art
Image adapted from two freely available sources

Also known as bibliometrics or informetrics, metrics (in this area) is the scientific study or statistical calculation of research output, such as books and articles.

Why Metrics are Important

  • Metrics, like citation count, can help to gauge the influence or impact of a researcher's article, or the body of work by an academic department or center.
  • Metrics like Journal Impact Factor can help to estimate a journal's influence or impact.
  • Metrics and visualizations can be used to identify research strengths and collaborations.
  • Applications for funding, promotion, or research positions may require a certain metric.

Caveats and Limitations

  • Citations counts can be misleading due to self-citations
  • A high citations count can include both positive and negative citations
  • Measures like the citation count and h-index score can vary between database/resources since they include different journals and years of coverage

General Resources for Finding Metrics

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