Research metrics

It is important to apply metrics responsibly. Because bibliometrics measure impact based on the number of citations, they are not always a measure of research quality. They can also be susceptible to manipulation and misuse. For instance, bibliometrics can favour established researchers over early career researchers, do not take into account the context of the citation (e.g. negative citations), prioritise journal articles over other publication types, and are not as meaningful for disciplines which have varied research outputs and no tradition of journal article publication or citation. 

Here at the University, we are committed to best practice in research assessment, advancing our maturity towards metrics-based evaluation and taking an active stand within the sector to value quality research regardless of how and where it is published. Go to our statement on the responsible use of metrics. 

We are also a signatory of DORA, the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment. 

In addition to DORA, the research community has made further statements on best practice including: 

• the metric tide
• the Leiden manifesto

There are a wide variety of metrics and they can be useful in different ways. Here are a few of the most common, but you can find out more about these and other metrics including how they are calculated and how they should be applied through the metrics toolkit.

Group and institutional metrics can be used to examine the performance of research groups and institutions and compare them with similar groups in other institutions.  

Some common tools for group metrics are SciVal and InCites. SciVal uses data from Scopus while InCites uses data from the Web of Science.  

These metrics are used to rank universities by various criteria, examples include THE World University Rankings, Academic Ranking of World Universities, and QS World University Rankings.

For more information about how Manchester Met uses these tools, please email Research Intelligence at [email protected]. 

Alternative metrics measure the usage of research and scientific results outside the traditional academic environment. They have been developed as a response to the limitations of bibliometrics and are designed to complement these metrics, not replace them. Where bibliometrics use citation patterns to quantify impact, alternative metrics offer a qualitative approach. They look at how research is influencing policy, society, culture, environment, and technology. Some common tools include Altmetrics and PlumX.  

Alternative metrics analyse social media profiles, news articles, blogs and researcher profile sites such as Academia.edu and ResearchGate.

Choosing a journal or publisher can be difficult. Here are some tips to help you identify trusted publishers. Look at: 

• What you read: do you read and cite the journal or publication? 

• Other researchers: do prominent researchers in your field and your colleagues submit to the journal or publisher?  

• Indexing: is the journal indexed in known databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, or the Directory of Open Access Journals? 

• Peer review: is there a clear peer review process? What kind? 

• Editorial board: does the editorial board contain researchers you have heard of and would want to submit work to? 

Think. Check. Submit. is a useful tool to help you think through what to consider such as the peer review process, the editorial board, open access options, and fees.