Research Metrics

This book gives an overview of altmetrics, its tools and how to implement them successfully to boost and measure research outputs. New methods of scholarly communication and dissemination of information are having a huge impact on how academics and researchers build profiles and share research. This groundbreaking and highly practical guide looks at the role that library and information professionals can play in facilitating these new ways of working and demonstrating impact and influence. Altmetrics focuses on research artefact level metrics that are not exclusive to traditional journal papers but also extend to book chapters, posters and data sets, among other items. This book explains the theory behind altmetrics, including how it came about, why it can help academics and where it sits amongst current measurements of impact. Editor Andy Tattersall draws on the expertise of leading altmetric innovators and practitioners, with chapters from Euan Adie, the founder of Altmetric.com; William Gunn, the Head of Academic Outreach at Mendeley and Ben Showers, author of the bestselling Facet title Library Analytics and Metrics. Altmetrics: A Practical Guide for Librarians, Researchers and Academics will empower library and information professionals working in higher education, researchers, academics and higher education leaders and strategists to develop the skills and knowledge needed to introduce and support altmetrics within their own institutions.

Demystifying Scholarly Metrics gives librarians and faculty the confidence to navigate the maze of scholarly metrics, identify quality journals in which to publish, and measure the impact of scholarly works. Both librarians and professors can be overwhelmed by the bewildering number of scholarly metrics. This user-friendly book demystifies them, helping librarians become familiar with scholarly metrics and giving them the confidence to assist faculty at their institutions. It also equips faculty authors with the knowledge to evaluate journals and use metrics to track their scholarly impact. Several controversies exist in the scholarly metrics landscape, including a disagreement between the proponents of altmetrics and traditional bibliometrics. Even more contentious debates are breaking out over predatory journals and open access publishing. Authors Mark Vinyard and Jaimie Beth Colvin, who successfully launched a faculty publishing initiative, explain which aspects of metrics are truly essential to grasp, and they place these numbers in context. They help readers identify the metrics that are the best fit for their scholarship and give librarians and professors the tools to make smart decisions in this changing scholarly metrics landscape. Teaches librarians how to demonstrate their value by helping professors succeed as scholars Teaches faculty how to use scholarly metrics to tell their professional stories Helps readers develop methods for tracking scholarly metrics and adapt them to the needs of specific researchers Presents best practices for journal selection Helps librarians and faculty understand and navigate controversies in the academic publishing world, such as open source publishing, altmetrics, and predatory publishers