Traditionally, an academic author’s impact was measured using the number of times he/she was published and the number of times his/her publications were cited by other researchers. Technology has been revolutionising scientific and academic publishing.
There are many ways to disseminate your research and different ways it could have an impact, depending on your topic, field and how it can be applied to address societal issues.
We are all familiar with academic impact, how research activities can advance a theory and how research findings can develop understanding within a field or across disciplines. We have already mentioned the societal impact, this might extend to influence policy making, affect economic growth, provide environmental benefits and, crucially in this period, tackle health challenges.
In the UK, the REF (Research Excellence Framework) defines impact as “an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia”.
Research impact is often a prerequisite of funding calls and grant applications – funding councils and bodies need to ensure they are investing in projects that deliver tangible benefits. Governments and even businesses – think of knowledge transfer and how many organisations are eager to support research and development by funding projects in academia – are also interested in assessing the quality and impact of research.
Research diffusion, impact and your career
If you can demonstrate the impact of your research, this will help further your career by boosting your academic profile and increasing your chances to be awarded funding for your project. Here are a few suggestions:
Last but not least, it’s important you publish your research in well-reputed publications with high impact factor. If you would like tips on how to choose the right journal for your paper, you can read a previous article here.
Scholarly book reviews have always played a crucial role in informing readers about new academic publications and helping them find authors diffusing research in their field. A well-balanced, engaging and informative book review published in a scholar-ly journal, especially if penned by a recognised expert, provides valuable exposure for authors, offering visibility, impact and attention.
If you are an early career scholar who is thinking of writing academic books to advance your career, this article will help you navigate book publishing with more confidence and less stress.
In a previous article entitled Publishing your first academic book, we advised early-career researchers to start publishing articles in reputable journals as a way to get experience and build up a career as academic authors. Open-access journals are particularly helpful because they are not behind a paywall and can reach a wider audience.
The research process expects ethical behaviour and good practice. As plagiarism and self-plagiarism are on the increase, academic publishers are using software to detect these instances of scientific misconduct.