Title: Module 6: Research Impact and Visibility
Course: Teaching Open Science and Research Data Management for Undergraduates > Section: Module 6: Research Impact and Visibility

Research impact

This page is based on Finnish national guide to publication metrics and is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Research impact describes how research contributes to society and influences broader developments. These effects often take shape gradually, as research findings interact with many other factors over time.

A common way to assess scientific impact is through citations – how often other researchers refer to a publication in their own work. A high number of citations suggests that the research has been widely used and valued within the scientific community. In this way, citations provide a practical indicator of a publication’s usefulness and influence.

Publication metrics

The impact and visibility of research can be measured by looking at research publications and how often they are cited. These methods are called publication metrics, and the term bibliometrics is also commonly used.^1

Publication metrics involve quantitative analysis, where the connections between publications and citations are studied using different numerical indicators.^1

Citation impact indicators

Scientific impact indicators are mostly based on how many citations a publication receives. The number of citations shows how often the research has been used in later studies. Citations are seen as a sign that the research is useful to the scientific community, and they help measure its overall impact.^2

Examples of citation impact indicators include the number of citations a publication receives, the average number of citations within a set of publications, and the h-index. Normalized citation impact indicators are used to make citation counts fairer by considering differences between disciplines, the age of a publication, and the type of publication.^2

Productivity indicators

The number of publications shows how active the evaluated subject is in research. This can be looked at in different ways, for example by university, field of science, year, or type of publication.^3

Collaboration indicators

Author affiliations in publications make it possible to study collaboration both between research organisations and between research organisations and companies. International collaboration can be measured by the number or share of international co-publications, while cooperation with companies can be assessed through the number or share of co-publications involving corporate partners.^4

Indicators for evaluating journals

One of the most common ways to evaluate journals is through citation analysis, where the visibility and recognition of a journal are measured by the number of citations its articles receive. This approach assumes that frequently cited articles contain important knowledge within their field.^5

Article- and citation-based indicators focus on the average number of citations received during a given time period by publications (e.g., articles) in a particular journal or publication channel.^5

Being indexed in major databases increases a journal’s visibility. Indexing in databases such as Scopus or Web of Science is often seen as a mark of credibility, since journals must meet specific criteria. In the natural and medical sciences, inclusion in Web of Science is especially valued because it allows for the calculation of the journal’s Impact Factor (IF), one of the most widely used bibliometric indicators.^5

In Finland, The Publication Forum (JUFO) is a classification system for publication channels created by the Finnish research community to support the quality assessment of scholarly publishing. It covers scientific journals, book series, conferences, and book publishers.

Responsible evaluation of research

The use of publication metrics in research evaluation has raised criticism, and quantitative indicators should not be used as the primary measure. The scientific quality of research should primarily be assessed by examining its scholarly content - this is known as qualitative evaluation. Metrics can be used to support qualitative assessment, but only in a responsible manner.^6

Irresponsible use of publication metrics poses a risk to the goals of open science. There is a danger that metrics may steer researchers toward expensive journals and increase dependence on costly publishers. Additionally, the emphasis on the number of publications may come at the expense of quality.^6

In Finland, a recommendation for responsible researcher evaluation was published in 2020.^7 The publication includes recommendations for the responsible use of publication metrics.

Open access to research has been highlighted in the recommendation as one of the good practices in researcher evaluation: “A researcher’s efforts to promote open access to research outputs are considered as part of the evaluation. Promoting open access is seen as part of the realization of the core values of research, societal impact, and the advancement of science.”^7

Read more about responsible publication metrics:

Finland's national recommendations: https://wiki.eduuni.fi/spaces/csckjmo/pages/338179471/Finland%E2%80%99s+national+recommendations

International recommendations: https://wiki.eduuni.fi/display/csckjmo/International+recommendations

Report of the European Commission Expert Group on Altmetrics: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/b858d952-0a19-11e7-8a35-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

Altmetrics

Altmetrics track the online visibility of publications - such as articles and books - across social media and other digital platforms. They combine information from sources like download counts, news mentions, tweets, reactions, and traditional citations.^8

Unlike traditional citations, which take months or even years to accumulate, altmetrics provide a faster indication of impact. Mentions in news outlets or activity on X (formerly Twitter) can appear almost immediately after publication. Altmetrics also capture engagement from communities beyond academia, highlighting the broader social impacts of research.^8

Explore altmetrics with the help of this video (Altmetric, CC BY)^9:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6XawJ7-880

Data metrics

Data metrics involve analyzing and reporting on research data and how it is used. This can include looking at how openly the data is shared, how often it is accessed, or how many times it has been cited. To make this kind of analysis possible, good data management, easy access to the data, and the right technical tools are essential.^10

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Indicators of open publishing

Open Access (OA) publishing can be assessed by examining both the total number of OA publications and their proportion among all publications. Various analysis tools support the exploration of OA publishing and its impact. However, definitions of openness vary, and many databases do not fully capture OA achieved through self-archiving.^11

Most databases provide quantitative data on open publishing, often including breakdowns by type - such as gold OA or green OA. Due to differing definitions across sources, comparisons may be challenging.^11

Citation impact can also be analyzed to determine whether OA publications differ from closed-access ones. Typically, it is possible to compare total citation counts, average citations, and normalized citation metrics to identify patterns and trends.^11

Learn more about specific research impact metrics and what they measure:
http://www.metrics-toolkit.org/

References

1. Tampere University Library. Guides. Researcher's guide to responsible and open science. Impact and visibility. https://libguides.tuni.fi/researchers-guide/impact-and-visibility Accessed 26 Mar.  2025.

2.  Finnish national guide to publication metrics. Citation impact indicators. https://wiki.eduuni.fi/display/csckjmo/Citation+impact+indicators  CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

3. Finnish national guide to publication metrics. Productivity indicators.  https://wiki.eduuni.fi/spaces/csckjmo/pages/338179510/Productivity+indicators CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

4. Finnish national guide to publication metrics. Collaboration indicators.   https://wiki.eduuni.fi/spaces/csckjmo/pages/338179514/Collaboration+indicators CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

5. Finnish national guide to publication metrics. Indicators for evaluating journals.   https://wiki.eduuni.fi/spaces/csckjmo/pages/338179515/Indicators+for+evaluating+journals CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

6. Avoimen tieteen ja tutkimuksen kansallisen koordinaation sihteeristö. (2023). Kysy avoimesta tieteestä. Avoin tiede. https://avointiede.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/kysy-avoimesta-tieteesta-hyva-ja-paha-metriikka CC BY 4.0. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

7. Working group for responsible evaluation of a researcher. (2020). Good practice in researcher evaluation. Recommendation for the responsible evaluation of a researcher in Finland. Responsible Research Series, 7:2020. https://doi.org/10.23847/isbn.9789525995282  CC BY 4.0 Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

8. Finnish national guide to publication metrics. Altmetrics. https://wiki.eduuni.fi/spaces/csckjmo/pages/338179588/Altmetrics CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

9. Altmetric YouTube Channel. (2016) A beginner's guide to altmetrics. YouTube, uploaded by Altmetric YouTube Channel, 6 May 2016. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025. CC BY.

10. Finnish national guide to publication metrics. Data metrics. https://wiki.eduuni.fi/spaces/csckjmo/pages/338179591/Data+metrics CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

11. Finnish national guide to publication metrics. Indicators of open publishing. https://wiki.eduuni.fi/display/csckjmo/Indicators+of+open+publishing CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 16 Aug.  2025.

This page is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Research visibility

Increasing the visibility of research is becoming increasingly important for researchers. When research is easy to find and visible, its chances of being noticed, used, and having an impact grow. This, in turn, can strengthen the researcher’s reputation and improve academic career opportunities.

Researchers have many ways to promote their work, connect with other researchers, and participate in scientific discussions. Active communication, networking, and visibility across different channels support both the impact of research and career development.

There are several ways to enhance visibility and improve the discoverability of research (summarized from Tampere University Library guidelines)^1:

Up-to-date researcher profile

- Ensure that personal information and profiles are current
- Create a personal researcher identifier, such as an ORCID iD
- Use a consistent name format across all publications
- Use the organization’s established name in publications
- Check publication records in international databases and correct any errors by contacting the service provider

Discoverability of publications and research data

- Make sure publications have a persistent identifier (PID), such as a DOI

Open publishing

- Publish research results openly whenever possible
- Share research data fully or partially, when ethically and practically feasible

Communication and networking

- Participate in scientific discussions and share information about publications
- Join researcher communities and networking platforms, such as ResearchGate and LinkedIn
- Promote research through social media and other channels^1

References

1. Tampere University Library. Guides. Researcher's guide to responsible and open science. Researcher visibility. https://libguides.tuni.fi/researchers-guide/impact-and-visibility/researcher-visibility Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.