Beyond metrics – research impact and engagement

Tanya Harden

Photo by Karsten Wurth on Unsplash

Research impact measurement has evolved from a focus on citation-based metrics and publication output, to consider the impact of research in the “real world”, beyond academia.  Governments and research councils around the world world have undertaken research impact and/or engagement exercises to assess the performance of research institutions in this space.

This chapter will give an overview of research impact and engagement in the Australian context.

 Getting Started 

In 2018, the Australian Research Council undertook the Engagement and Impact Assessment to “assess how well researchers are engaging with end-users of research, and shows how universities are translating their research into economic, social, environmental, cultural and other impacts”

The Australian Research Council defines:

  • Impact as “the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research”, and;
  • Engagement as “the interaction between researchers and research end-users outside of academia, for the mutually beneficial transfer of knowledge, technologies, methods or resources”.

The ARC lists the objectives of the Engagement and Impact assessment here.  For more details about the exercise, you can read the EI 2018 National Report here.

Consider: Review the ARC Research Impact Pathway and Operational Principles.  What support could a librarian provide in this space to support researchers?

 

Learn More

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) defines research impact as “…the verifiable outcomes that research makes to knowledge, health, the economy and/or society, and not the prospective or anticipated effects of the research.”

The NHRMC describes the impacts from health and medical research as possibly including:

  • results from basic research used to inform the understanding of biological processes that underpin improvements in new therapeutics, diagnostics or disease prevention
  • evidence-based improvements to health care practices or health care systems
  • reduction in health risk factors for, or improvements to, health-related behaviours of individuals and communities
  • improvements in access to health care services
  • improvements in consistency of care
  • improvements in patient empowerment and participation in care delivery
  • commercialisation of scientific discoveries that improve health and contribute to the economy
  • demonstrations of how research collaboration with end users can provide outcomes relevant to end users
  • demonstrations of the value for money of research outcomes and outputs
  • improvements to the social well-being, equality or social inclusion of individuals and communities.

The NHRMC divides research impact into four categories: knowledge, health, economic and social.

Exercise:  Go to the NHMRC website and read through the examples provided for the different types of impact.

Consider:  What tools you might use to find evidence?  The previous chapters on Altmetrics and  Collecting evidence – Grey Literature Searching may be helpful.

 

Challenge Me

There is no “right way” to demonstrate engagement or impact.  The ARC provides a list of engagement narratives and impact studies that received a high rating in EI2018.

 

Consider: Select two engagement narratives and two impact studies from different fields.  What are the differences in the impacts demonstrated?  What type of evidence has been provided?  How is the type of engagement different?

 

Attribution

Content in this chapter has been developed by QUT Library, including content derived from:

All information correct at the time of publishing 7 March, 2021.

ImaGE cREDITS

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