This book is an authoritative handbook of current topics, technologies and methodological approaches that may be used for the study of scholarly impact. The included methods cover a range of fields such as statistical sciences, scientific visualization, network analysis, text mining, and information retrieval. The techniques and tools enable researchers to investigate metric phenomena and to assess scholarly impact in new ways. Each chapter offers an introduction to the selected topic and outlines how the topic, technology or methodological approach may be applied to metrics-related research. Comprehensive and up-to-date, Measuring Scholarly Impact: Methods and Practice is designed for researchers and scholars interested in informetrics, scientometrics, and text mining. The hands-on perspective is also beneficial to advanced-level students in fields from computer science and statistics to information science.

"Universities, governments, faculty-evaluation committees, grant-bestowing institutions, scholars, and accreditation organizations have increasingly insisted on identifying and placing value on research impact. Valuation of research and scholarly output predicts innovation, affects careers, and guides resource allocations worldwide. This book joins the burgeoning conversation in management and the social sciences with theoretical and applied discussions of the concepts, measurements, costs and benefits that accrue to pursuing scholarly impact. The author draws on a pioneering study by the Academy of Management that asked its global membership of 20,000 how they assessed scholarly impact, including rankings and impact factors, and how institutions supported this pursuit. Through qualitative and quantitative cross-country analysis by professorial rank, geographical region and support for various metrics, as well as exploration of parallel discussions in the social and hard sciences, the author argues for an urgent re-examination of the visible and invisible hands of research evaluation that shape lives and global societies. The book presents original data on the external impacts of management research on policy, through the media, and in interest displayed by constituencies, which will make the book of interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of business and management. Recommendations from leading management scholars and from the data follow for more valid, more reliable and less cynical metrics of research impact"--

A comprehensive, state-of-the-art examination of the changing ways we measure scholarly performance and research impact.

Policy makers, academic administrators, scholars, and members of the public are clamoring for indicators of the value and reach of research. The question of how to quantify the impact and importance of research and scholarly output, from the publication of books and journal articles to the indexing of citations and tweets, is a critical one in predicting innovation, and in deciding what sorts of research is supported and whom is hired to carry it out. There is a wide set of data and tools available for measuring research, but they are often used in crude ways, and each have their own limitations and internal logics. Measuring Research: What Everyone Needs to Know(R) will provide, for the first time, an accessible account of the methods used to gather and analyze data on research output and impact. Following a brief history of scholarly communication and its measurement -- from traditional peer review to crowdsourced review on the social web -- the book will look at the classification of knowledge and academic disciplines, the differences between citations and references, the role of peer review, national research evaluation exercises, the tools used to measure research, the many different types of measurement indicators, and how to measure interdisciplinarity. The book also addresses emerging issues within scholarly communication, including whether or not measurement promotes a "publish or perish" culture, fraud in research, or "citation cartels." It will also look at the stakeholders behind these analytical tools, the adverse effects of these quantifications, and the future of research measurement.

Identifying, measuring and improving social impact is a significant challenge for corporate and private foundations, charities, NGOs and corporations. How best to balance possible social and environmental benefits (and costs) against one another? How does one bring clarity to multiple possibilities and opportunities? Based on years of work and new field studies from around the globe, the authors have written a book for managers that is grounded in the best academic and managerial research.It is a practical guide that describes the steps needed for identifying, measuring and improving social impact. This approach is useful in maximizing the impact of different types of investments, including grants and donations, impact investments, and commercial investments.With numerous examples of actual organizational approaches, research into more than fifty organizations, and extensive practical guidance and best practices, Measuring and Improving Social Impacts fills a critical gap.

Based on extensive research and decades of experience, museum analyst and planner John W. Jacobsen provides both the theoretical underpinnings and the operational pragmatics of measuring any museum's intentional impact and performance by using 1,025 indicators drawn from 51 expert sources. Measuring Museum Impact and Performance: Theory and Practice provides museum professionals internationally with a clear, very open process that will improve their museum's value and performance by selecting indicators that monitor whether they are realizing their desired public, private, personal and institutional values. The book is not prescriptive, but liberating, as the framework recognizes that each museum needs to decide on its own purposes and priorities. The book is organized in two parts: "Part 1: Theory" is scholarly and builds on the museum field’s rich literature; and "Part 2: Practice" provides step-by-step methods for any museum to set up its own dashboard of prioritized impact and performance indicators. Substantive attachments include: the list of the 51 source documents for the MIIP indicators; definitions of terms and data fields; a long list of precedented museum impacts; measurement formulas and worksheet templates, filled in for a sample museum; and the MIIP 1.0 database available online. Readers will get the following benefits: A literature review of prior work on measuring museum value An analysis of eleven well-established evaluation frameworks that synthesize into a revolutionary, yet practical, Museum Theory of Action A robust and searchable menu of 1,025 existing and aspirational indicators (the MIIP 1.0 database) that you can use to start your own selection An analysis of the MIIP database using the Theory of Action that reveals 14 areas of potential museum impacts and benefits A process to select and prioritize your museum’s intentional purposes and desired impacts A process to determine, measure and compare your museum’s key performance indicators (KPIs) A process to set-up and conduct peer museum comparisons Procedures and examples of how to capture and report data used in your selected indicators Principles for using indicator data to inform museum management decisions

An exploration of how plant behavior and adaptation offer valuable insights for human thriving. We know that plants are important. They maintain the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They nourish other living organisms and supply psychological benefits to humans as well, improving our moods and beautifying the landscape around us. But plants don’t just passively provide. They also take action. Beronda L. Montgomery explores the vigorous, creative lives of organisms often treated as static and predictable. In fact, plants are masters of adaptation. They “know” what and who they are, and they use this knowledge to make a way in the world. Plants experience a kind of sensation that does not require eyes or ears. They distinguish kin, friend, and foe, and they are able to respond to ecological competition despite lacking the capacity of fight-or-flight. Plants are even capable of transformative behaviors that allow them to maximize their chances of survival in a dynamic and sometimes unfriendly environment. Lessons from Plants enters into the depth of botanic experience and shows how we might improve human society by better appreciating not just what plants give us but also how they achieve their own purposes. What would it mean to learn from these organisms, to become more aware of our environments and to adapt to our own worlds by calling on perception and awareness? Montgomery’s meditative study puts before us a question with the power to reframe the way we live: What would a plant do?

A concise, easy-to-read source of essential tips and skills for writing research papers and career management In order to be truly successful in the biomedical professions, one must have excellent communication skills and networking abilities. Of equal importance is the possession of sufficient clinical knowledge, as well as a proficiency in conducting research and writing scientific papers. This unique and important book provides medical students and residents with the most commonly encountered topics in the academic and professional lifestyle, teaching them all of the practical nuances that are often only learned through experience. Written by a team of experienced professionals to help guide younger researchers, A Guide to the Scientific Career: Virtues, Communication, Research and Academic Writing features ten sections composed of seventy-four chapters that cover: qualities of research scientists; career satisfaction and its determinants; publishing in academic medicine; assessing a researcher’s scientific productivity and scholarly impact; manners in academics; communication skills; essence of collaborative research; dealing with manipulative people; writing and scientific misconduct: ethical and legal aspects; plagiarism; research regulations, proposals, grants, and practice; publication and resources; tips on writing every type of paper and report; and much more. An easy-to-read source of essential tips and skills for scientific research Emphasizes good communication skills, sound clinical judgment, knowledge of research methodology, and good writing skills Offers comprehensive guidelines that address every aspect of the medical student/resident academic and professional lifestyle Combines elements of a career-management guide and publication guide in one comprehensive reference source Includes selected personal stories by great researchers, fascinating writers, inspiring mentors, and extraordinary clinicians/scientists A Guide to the Scientific Career: Virtues, Communication, Research and Academic Writing is an excellent interdisciplinary text that will appeal to all medical students and scientists who seek to improve their writing and communication skills in order to make the most of their chosen career.

New methods in bibliometrics and alternative metrics provide us with information about research impact at both increasingly granular and global levels. Here, editor Elaine Lasda and a cast of expert contributors present a variety of case studies that demonstrate the practical utilization of these new scholarly metrics.

The promotion and dissemination of knowledge is a crucial part of the academic community. This is accomplished through the publication of new research through both traditional and emerging venues. Scholarly Communication and the Publish or Perish Pressures of Academia is an authoritative reference source for the latest material on methods and available networks for the publication of contemporary academic research. Highlighting innovative writing styles, ethical considerations, and marketing avenues, this book is ideally designed for researchers, upper-level students, scholars, professionals, and practitioners actively involved in the publication of academic research.