Research impact refers to the tangible and lasting effects that scholarly work has on society, policy, industry, and academia. It goes beyond traditional measures of academic success, such as citations, and encompasses the real-world outcomes and changes resulting from research activities.
Impact can manifest in various forms, including influencing public policies, addressing societal challenges, contributing to technological advancements, and fostering positive changes in communities.
A researcher's impact is a testament to the broader significance and applicability of their work, demonstrating how knowledge creation and dissemination can lead to meaningful transformations in the world at large. In essence, research impact measures the reach and influence of scholarly contributions beyond academic circles, reflecting the ability of research to make a genuine and beneficial difference in the real world.
HOW YOUR RESEARCH CAN MAKE AN IMPACT ON SOCIETY
Understanding how to define and measure the societal and economic impact of your research. Learn about the responsibilities of researchers and how to increase public awareness and engagement with your work
InCites is a citation-based evaluation tool for academic and government administrators to analyze institutional productivity and benchmark output against peers and aspirational peers in a national or international context.
Tool to visualize research performance, benchmark relative to peer institutions and identify new emerging research trends and create reports.
First-time users: Use this link to register an account using your Unisa e-mail address.
Altmetric gathers article level metrics for journal articles, and provides altmetric data for publishers, institutions and researchers.
Registered users: User your Unisa e-mail address to access.
Altmetric gathers article level metrics for journal articles, and provides altmetric data for publishers, institutions and researchers.
This guide provides information and tools for measuring research impact, focusing on the use of citation metrics in NRF rating preparation