Social Science Space

This is the first of two “ultimate guides” on practical tips for measuring the impact of academic output. Tomorrow we […]

Reports of their death have been exaggerated: a look at the literature finds academic papers are not as uncited as recent reports would have you believe, but don’t start celebrating over the genuine figures.

Under attack from some quarters for research that is portrayed as wasteful or out of touch, it’s time, argues Jason Ensor, to find newer and more public ways to engage the community beyond the ivory tower.

Scholars are increasingly expected to consider the wider public, but with little to negative promotion incentive. Christopher Meyers finds much of what academics do does not fit into the standard boxes of teaching, scholarship and service. Is it time to replace these categories with a single holistic and qualitative standard?

The Web of Science and its corresponding Journal Impact Factor are inadequate for an understanding of the impact of scholarly work from developing regions, argues Juan Pablo Alperin. The altmetrics community should engage with scholars from developing regions to ensure the new metrics do not continue to cater to well-known and well-established networks.

Social media and alternative ways of measuring academic impact are helping turn universities into giant newsrooms, argues Maxine Newlands. That’s not necessarily bad, and it may be inevitable.