Assessing Research Impact in the Social Sciences and the Humanities

“If we wish to resist the mechanical imposition of standardised citation measures then we need to suggest reasonable grounds for exempting certain fields from metric assessment and propose alternatives.”

So writes Professor Tom Lodge, Assistant Dean Research AHSS, UL, in a memorandum which urges Social Sciences and Humanities researchers to publish, where possible, in formats that lend themselves to comparable, if not statistical, indications of impact. Professor Lodge goes on to outline some of the alternative measures that might be used to indicate the standing and quality of published work in AHSS, including:

Books
o Consider the status of the publisher, perhaps compiling lists of top ten publishers in various fields
o Pay attention to review coverage, noting the standing of the reviewing journals as well as the content of the reviews
o Distinguish between refereed and non-refereed books
o Consider a book’s publishing history e.g. reprints and second subsequent editions may be considered to signal impact
o Consider a book’s sales figures, allowing for adjustments where a publication is in a very specialised field

Journals not indexed by Web of Science
o Consider using Publish or Perish, a citation analysis tool which analyses Google Scholar
o Refer to the European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH) for journal ratings
o Gather information from publishers

Other
o Consider work that shapes public policy debates
o Consider the status of conferences, and ranking of conference participation

Professor Lodge’s full memorandum can be accessed here, or on the library webpage (www.ul.ie/library) under Supporting Research -> Research Publication and Dissemination -> Citation Analysis.