UTS Library are not currently able to create metrics reports or provide personalised advice on demonstrating impact. We can provide guidance on how to obtain your metrics and set up custom reports and alerts.
Planning for impact
Impact should be considered from the outset of a research project. Below are some helpful resources and training to help you plan:
Speaking to your track record
Citation-based metrics can help demonstrate the reach and influence of your research when applying for grants, promotion, awards, and other career development opportunities. The table below provides examples of commonly used metrics for tracking the impact of journal articles and other scholarly outputs that attract citations. It outlines the types of impact these metrics can help illustrate, along with sources that be used to identify them.
| Impact area | Examples of Evidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Career | Total number of publications | UTS Discovery Profile, ORCID, Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, Google Scholar |
| Total citations and citations of each article | Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, Google Scholar | |
| h-index | Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, Google Scholar | |
| Publications in top journal percentiles (by SNIP, CiteScore or SJR) | SciVal | |
| Publications in journal quartiles (Q1-Q4) | SciVal, InCites | |
| Highly cited researchers | Web of Science | |
| Knowledge | Field-weighted citation impact (FWCI) for articles | Scopus |
| Hot papers and Highly cited papers | Web of Science | |
| International collaboration | SciVal | |
| Citing countries | Scopus, SciVal, Web of Science | |
| Social | Policy mentions and uptake | Overton, Altmetric Explorer |
| Media and social media mentions | Altmetric Explorer | |
| Contribution to sustainable development goals | SciVal, Dimensions | |
| Health | Citations in clinical guidelines | Altmetric Explorer, Dimensions |
| Economic | Citations in patents | Lens.org, Dimensions |
For ways to track the impact of non-traditional research outputs (NTROs), see the non-traditional research outputs guide. The guide also further explains author, article, and journal level metrics and when you might use each.
AI use and metrics
AI tools should not be used to gather or interpret metrics without verification. Ensure all metrics are sourced from authoritative sources, accurately reported, and supported by retained data exports or reports for future reference.
The ARC policy and NHMRC policy regarding AI use in grant applications and peer review is located on their website.
Training and tutorials
Online resources and video tutorials are available from the publishers:
- Scopus: Metrics LibGuide, How to assess an author’s impact video.
- Web of Science: Determine your impact guide.
- SciVal: SciVal LibGuide. Learn how to use AI-powered Smart Summaries to create a statement of SciVal analyses.
- InCites: InCites LibGuide.
- Overton: Bibliometrics and research assessment, Searching in Overton videos.
- Altmetric Explorer: Tips and Tricks guide, Searching in Altmetric Explorer video.
- Dimensions: How to find a researcher in Dimensions video
Improve your online visibility
Promoting and sharing your research is an important step after publication. Here are tips on how to raise your visibility through maintenance of researcher profiles.
UTS Discovery profile
- Your Discovery profile is a public facing UTS profile that helps external audiences find and learn about you. UTS staff and HDR students can create and update these profiles using Symplectic Elements (Symplectic), which will automatically include research outputs, professional activities and research projects that you have added to the system.
- With the exception of Google Scholar, Symplectic can be set up to automatically claim publications from the profile sources below.
ORCID
- ORCID stands for Open Researcher and Contributor IDentifier. It is a persistent and unique digital identifier that enables researchers and institutions to maintain a consolidated record of all of their research activities. Some publishers require authors to have an ORCID. Some grant funders also allow you to populate your publication list from ORCID into ROPE (Research Output Performance Evidence). Visit ORCID@UTS for more information on the benefits of ORCID including how to link it to Symplectic.
Scopus Author ID
- Your Scopus Author Profile brings together your indexed publications and provides metrics such as citation counts, h-index, publication counts and co-author information.
- Author profiles are automatically generated, there are no options for you to claim or edit them directly, and they will only include publications indexed by Scopus.
- Use the Scopus author search to search for your name (e.g. last name and initial of your first name). If your publications are split into multiple profiles, use the Scopus Author Feedback Wizard to request a merge.
Web of Science ResearcherID/Researcher Profiles
- Researcher Profile list your Web of Science publications, allowing you to track citation metrics and record peer review and editorial activities.
- To check if your publications are split into multiple profiles, go to Web of Science and run a name search (e.g. last name and initial of first name, add your affiliation if your name is very common). If there are multiple records under your name, open each record, check the publications and select 'Claim the record'. You will be prompted to log in to your account. See more instructions for managing your Web of Science profile.
Google Scholar profile
- Google Scholar Citations allows you to create a profile from existing Google Scholar data. It displays your publications and citations, and calculates your h-index and i10-index.
To set up a Google Scholar profile, we strongly recommend using a private email address, as this ensures you maintain access to your profile even if you change employers. Next, fill in the Citations sign-up form and follow the instructions to add your details, including your UTS email address and verify your publications. Make sure your profile is set to public so that it will appear in Google Scholar results when people search for your name.
- For an accurate profile, we recommend selecting the setting 'Don't automatically update my profile. Send me an email to review and confirm updates.
Dimensions author profile
- Dimensions is a database that links publications and citations with grants, patents, clinical trials, datasets, and policy papers. It combines both citation-based metrics and altmetrics to deliver a broader picture of research impact.
- To locate your Dimensions profile, run an author name search.
- If you have multiple Dimensions profiles, you can request to merge these profiles by contacting Dimensions Support.
Tips for maintaining your profiles
Grant deadlines can be very tight, so keeping an up-to-date profile means you have all the data easily at hand. We recommend that you:
- Integrate ORCID with Symplectic Elements
- Link Scopus ID, Web of Science Researcher ID and other author identifiers in Symplectic and enable Auto Claiming of publications. When setting up Auto Claiming, choose the "Auto suggest associated items" option to ensure you have chance to verify the publications before they are added to your profile.
- Run a name search regularly in Scopus and Web of Science. Check if your publications are split into multiple author records. To can request to merge profiles in both Scopus and Web of Science.
- To decrease the chances of additional profiles being generated, supply your ORCID when publishing and where possible keep the byline consistent as per the UTS Authorship Procedure:
“Researcher name, University of Technology Sydney, Centre Name, [campus], Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia”
OR
“Researcher name, University of Technology Sydney, Faculty, [campus], Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia”
Getting help
Librarians can provide advice on finding and selecting the appropriate citation-based metrics to demonstrate the reach, influence and impact of your research.