Research Metrics & Scholarly Impact

• Review and identify the list of peer-reviewed articles published in rank in the candidate's CV.
• In the candidate's CV, review and identify the list of paper abstracts or posters presented in conferences or other venues in rank.
• Retrieve a list of the journal titles and names of the conferences and forums in which the candidate has published or presented.
• Ensure the list covers dissemination outlets in rank only.

For scholarly journals: the goal is to provide evidence of quality, impact, and recognition associated with the dissemination of the candidate's research in scholarly journals. Include relevant metrics that are available and appropriate for the specific scholarly journals.

• Brief description - define the aim, scope, and objectives of the journal; this information is generally available on the journal's website (Check the 'About' section).

• Specialty/subject field of the journal - indicate the specific field or subject area covered by the journal. 

• Readership (intended audience of the journal) - researchers, students, academics, or other professionals interested in the specific field or subject area covered by the journal. In cases of publishing in a niche or very specialized journal, highlight additional key information such as the average papers published per year on the topic or the number of authors/researchers publishing in the topic.

• Geographical focus - indicates the geographic area or regions that the journal aims to represent with its content: international, regional, national, or local.

• Journal metrics - some examples of journal metrics include, but are not limited to:
  • Journal Impact Factor: The Journal Impact Factor™ (JIF™) is a metric calculated and published annually by Clarivate in the Journal Citation Reports. It is the average number of citations received in the last year to articles published in the previous two years. Along with the journal impact factor, we strongly recommend including additional information to contextualize this number (e.g., provide the Rank and Quartile ranking for each journal within specific subject categories).
  • Acceptance Rate: many times the number/percentage is available on the journal's website or in the journal's annual report (example: JAMA Pediatrics—The Year in Review, 2022). Contacting the editor of the journal for acceptance rates is also an option.
  • Additional metrics available in the journal's website, such as monthly reads or percentage of article reads by country (see example on Cureus)
• Abstract/indexing availability - Optionally, list the major international databases that index the journal. This information is usually provided in the journal's website; optionally search the Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory to find a database that indexes the journal.

Some cautions around journal metrics:

Each of these numerical rankings can be helpful, but a journal impact factor or acceptance rate number alone cannot tell the whole story of the significance of a journal in its field.

Identifying any additional qualities of a journal (it’s the top journal in its field, it’s the premier place to share information within the specific discipline/field, etc.) helps to explain how journal selections match research work and career goals.

For conferences and other forums of dissemination: the goal is to showcase evidence of the global impact, recognition, prestige, visibility, reach, and influence of the conference within the research community. Other scholarly products can also demonstrate the level of importance and engagement associated with the candidate's participation.  

• Brief description - Define the scope, intended audience, and objectives of the conference. 
• Conference organizer - Along with the subject field of the conference, provide the name of the professional association, professional group, organization, or institution.
• Geographical focus - Indicate if it has a national or international focus; mention if the conference attracted participants from various countries. 
• Institutional representation - Indicate whether the candidate was an official representative of the institution.
• Organizing committee - Indicate if the candidate or the institution served on the organizing committee for the event.
• Presentation format - Indicate if the contribution was made through an oral presentation, a poster, a keynote speech, or an invited talk. 
• Session type - Highlight if the presentation was part of a specific session type, such as a plenary session, symposium, or workshop.
• Intended audience - General or specialized
• Conference metrics - Include relevant metrics for the specific conferences presented. Metrics are usually available on the conference's website or highlighted in the professional association's annual reports. Contact the event organizer or community manager for more details. When including conference metrics in the Assessment of Dissemination Outlets document, you may consider the following examples:
  • Conference acceptance rate: If it’s not on the conference website, contact the organizers for more details.
  • Attendance statistics: provide the number of attendees or participants at the conference. Optional is contacting the organizer for more information on the conference attendance.
  • Conference impact factor: If the conference has an associated impact factor or ranking, include this information to demonstrate the prestige and influence of the conference within the research community.
  • Conference ranking: If there are specific rankings available for conferences in the discipline, include the rank of the conference to showcase its position within the research community.

While each of these impact indicators can be helpful, these metrics alone cannot tell the whole story of the significance and quality of the publication venues (journals, conferences and other forums)  for the field represented by the department. When building the narrative to explain the quality and impact provide further context about each dissemination outlet identified.

An illustration of a narrative text that can be used as a model is provided below:

The journal [journal name] [scope or description statement of the journal, including the audience and whether a journal is published by a society or association ]. It has an impact factor of [JIF] , and it's ranked [position in the subject category ranking or quartile] ([name of the data source]). The journal's acceptance rate is [ acceptance rate %], and is indexed in international databases, including [name of major specialized and multidisciplinary databases that index journals].

Example of a journal: 

JAMA Pediatrics is a peer-reviewed publication that enables discussion of issues pertaining to the treatment of pediatric patients from infancy through young adulthood on the clinical, scientific, advocacy, and humanistic fronts. It has a 2021 JIF of 26.8 and it's ranked among the top 5 journals (2 out of 130) in the 'Pediatrics' subject category of the Journal Citation Reports (Source: Journal Citation Reports, by Clarivate, 2022). The journal's acceptance rate is 11% and is indexed in international databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.