Research Impact

Research impact, defined

Research impact can be thought of as the contribution that the new knowledge derived through research makes to disciplines, organizations and even society in general (UK Research & Innovation). Measuring this contribution takes a variety of forms and can be both quantitative and qualitative.

The pages in this guide provide an overview of common measures and tools you can use to tell the story of your research. However, depending on your discipline, impact may mean different things, and impact itself is not the same thing as quality. The need for research assessment reform, as described the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA),  has been acknowledged by various institutions, and continues to be an important topic of conversation.

As a supplement to the information presented in this guide, and to situate it within a larger conversation related to research impact, please consider reading the following posts from The Scholarly Kitchen or review the case studies listed at the DORA website.