Assess Your Research Impact

Quantitative metrics should be used to inform and complement, not replace, qualitative evidence. Qualitative evidence moves beyond merely counting the number of citations received or the number of people impacted by your research. Instead, it provides context and captures nuances that quantitative measures can't. It can also highlight aspects of impact that are difficult to quantify and can be used to tell stories that demonstrate impact. Qualitative evidence can be captured through:

• Qualitative data from feedback forms, surveys, interviews, and focus groups
• Case studies and testimonials from key stakeholders
• Letters of support from research partners, stakeholders, or others who have benefited from the research

Qualitative evidence can also be discovered by assessing the nature, rather than the number, of:

• Coverage and conversations in news outlets, blogs, and social media
• Citations to your work in scholarly journals and books
• Citations in course syllabi and teaching materials
• Citations in policy and legislative documents
• Citations in patents, clinical guidelines, and professional or technical standards

The Research Impact Framework (RIF), created by Trinity College Dublin, provides a structure for crafting audience-focused, evidence-based impact narratives that connect scholarly activities and their impact indicators to scientific and societal outcomes, grouped in four impact areas:

1. Knowledge generation
2. Development of individuals and collaborations
3. Supporting the research community
4. Contributions to broader society

The RIF provides five building blocks for crafting an impact narrative:

1. Impact areas
2. Outcome statement
3. Scholarly activity
4. Evidence
5. Sources

The RIF helps researchers learn how to:

• Organize their narrative
• Document evidence of impact in research outputs, contributions, and activities
• Select examples of activities and outcomes that demonstrate quality and impact

The Becker Medical Library model is a framework for documenting evidence of research impact across five categories:

1. Advancement of knowledge
2. Clinical implementation
3. Community benefit
4. Legislation and policy
5. Economic benefit

The model is intended to supplement publication analysis in order to provide a more robust and comprehensive perspective of research impact. While it was created to support assessment of biomedical research impact, it is a useful tool for all disciplines.

The video below, from the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, introduces the Becker Model and how to use its list of indicators of impact to tell impact stories.