Research Metrics

Publication metrics

Publication metrics, citation metrics or bibliometrics, are quantitative measures, based on publication and citation data.  They can be used to analyse the published output of authors, institutions and regions, as well as an indicator of journal quality. 

Citation/publication metrics are calculated at three levels:

• Article
• Author
• Journal

Publication metrics are often considered as part of research assessment exercises and university rankings and are often used by researchers in grant and promotion applications. For more details about metrics go to the Metrics section of this guide.

When using metrics in a grant or promotion application ALWAYS refer to guidelines and criteria to ensure you are complying with their requirements.

Responsible use of metrics

It is important to remember that quantitative measures, such as metrics, are only one method of assessing research output.  They do not capture all types of research impact and shouldn't replace qualitative measures such as peer review.  Considerations when using metrics include:

• Which metrics are appropriate? Consider the norms of the research field, what the metric is intended to measure and its strengths and weaknesses;
• Are metrics the best way to assess or demonstrate the research impact? This can depend on the type of the research activity, the field of research and the intended research outcomes; and
• Using multiple metrics, to provide a more complete picture.

You can find more guidance about the about the responsible use of metrics in research assessment in the following sources:

• The Leiden Manifesto
• The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
• The Hong Kong Principles

Other useful guides for using publication metrics responsiby include:

• Using InCites responsibly: a guide to interpretation and good practice
• Using SciVal responsibly: a guide to interpretation and good practice

Special thanks to Tanya Harden and Queensland University of Technology for permission to reuse and modify most of the information on this guide.