What is Research Impact: Types and Tips for Academics

For most early career researchers, research impact is important. Knowing that the rigorous research work and effort that one has been completely immersed in over months and years has resulted in positive change to our society or environment is indeed an incredible feeling. Moreover, in academics, impactful research attracts funding that is generally hard to come by. Still, when it does, it opens up ties with premier research and government institutions and can even attract the attention of influential leaders and world-renowned academics.  

What is research impact? 

There are many definitions of research impact; however, generally, it can be said that when one’s research results in contributing to a specific discipline or branch of knowledge productively and benefits humankind, then that research work has had a significant influence on society. Looking at research impact in a broader sense, it can also provide an impetus to efforts or developments across spheres like the sciences, public policy, environment, and culture. Therefore, research impact transforms from just an addition to the universe or body of knowledge in a discipline to benefitting and touching the lives of people positively.  

Types of research impact 

Some of the common effects of research are seen briefly below. 

1. Academic impact: The impact of research on the advancement of academic knowledge, such as enhancing understanding, developing new methodologies and theories, creating new knowledge, and so on, can be termed academic impact. 
2. Economic impact: The significant contribution of research to the economy may be defined as economic impact. This can be in terms of changes in income, increases in profits, revenue and funding, economic growth and development, and so forth. 
3. Social Impact: Where the research contributes to society, as in access to education, community development, and so on, it may be termed societal impact. 
4. Cultural impact: This impact is demonstrated by the changes in existing values, beliefs, and attitudes. 
5. Environmental impact: the benefits from research in the field of environment, such as a better understanding and management of risks and vulnerabilities resulting from natural hazards, habitats and ecosystems, pollution, and so on. 
6. Health and well-being: When research studies contribute to better health interventions, outcomes, and better quality of life, such as the discovery of new drugs and vaccines, these are defined as health and well-being impacts. 
7. Policy impact: there are research studies that inform policy decision-making through the evidence that these provide, leading to the formulation of new policies and regulations. This refers to the policy impact of research.  
8. Capacity development: Here, the research contributes to enhancing capacities through the development of new curricula, training, pedagogy, and so forth. 

Measuring Research Impact 

Academic authors would be curious to know how their recent research publication has been received in the publishing and academic world. This could be done through various means or by employing different methodologies. However, ‘measuring’ the impact of one’s research has to be done scientifically by using specific common metrics. 

Article-level metrics: If you have recently published a research article, you know that there will be a data counter somewhere that will be ticking as others download, cite, or read the article. To get a clear idea of how favorably an article is doing, there are various types of article-level metrics that one can use, as seen below. 

1. Citation metrics: these are the most commonly used form of metrics to understand how a research article is faring. It counts the number of times other authors have cited your research paper.  
2. h-Index: This metric gives institutions, authors, and funders a clear idea of an author’s citation impact. For example, if a researcher has an h-index of 7, then he or she has 7 articles that have been cited at least 7 times. The higher an author’s h-index, the greater the impact of their research.  
3. Altmetrics: This metric tracks how an author publishes a research article online. Here, social media posts or mentions across platforms like X, Facebook, or LinkedIn are factored in, along with the article’s presence or discussion on various blogs.  

Similarly, there are article-level metrics that can be logged by an article’s citations in public policy papers or key reports published by the government or multilateral institutions. Another popular metric used is the number of downloads or views the author’s work has generated across online publishers or digital repositories.  

Journal level metrics: this metric is helpful for authors to decide in which journal or publication they need to aim to have their research published. However, it is essential to keep in mind that one has to have an overall understanding of how various journal-level metrics work to come to an apt decision. For example, do not just look at a particular journal’s readership or popularity; ensure that the kind of articles they publish aligns with the aim and reach of your core research area or discipline.  

Tips to promote your research 

It is vital that the authors themselves promote their research article to enhance its traction and impact. The following ways can help. 

1. Use popular social media platforms  and tag your article; 
2. Have a hashtag to get prospective audiences involved in conversations around your article; 
3. Popularize your work by linking it to upcoming events, seminars, or conferences; 
4. Become a part of networks or research groups to disseminate your article. 

Authors should remember that while engaging with the idea of research impact, they must maintain truthfulness and imbibe integrity.

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