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Describing Your Research Impact

"Impact takes many forms – from individual scholars creating and promoting knowledge to collaborative teams developing novel technologies and solutions to grand challenges. From researchers influencing policy to artists creating culture and bringing joy to our lives. And from efforts to understand the fundamental questions that drive curiosity to knowledge that supports the development of our business, legal, health, and education systems.”

- Mobilize for Impact!

With growing demand from granting agencies and governments to demonstrate the real-world impact of research, clear and measurable reporting has become essential. By showcasing your research impact, you can better demonstrate your research expertise to:

  • Increase the competitiveness for grant applications, award nominations, and promotion/tenure applications;
  • Promote the research projects and connect with potential partners; and 
  • Be in a better position in recruiting students and trainees.

Some examples of research impact can be found below (not exhaustive but illustrative). EDID advancement can be viewed as a separate impact category and/or woven into each of the other categories. 

Categories & Examples of Research Impact

Examples:

  • Research outputs referenced/cited by other scholarly work
  • Research outputs advancing methodology or disciplines
  • Research outputs used in coursework and/or informing curricula

Examples of scholarly impact summary/narrative:

Web-based tools:

Examples:

  • Improvement in indicators of pollutions 
  • Development of eco-friendly technologies

Examples:

  • Removal of barriers to healthcare for equity-deserving groups 
  • Tailored mentorship and sponsorship of trainees (increasing representation of equity-deserving groups) 
  • Working with Indigenous communities to support Indigenous ways of knowing, advancing theories and practices of decolonization

Available resources:

Examples: 

  • Profit derived from patents 
  • Private and not-for-profit sectors resulting from research applied in practice 

Available resources:

Examples:

  • Publishing policy documents/briefs 
  • Research outputs being referenced/cited by policy documents 

Web-based Tools: 

  • Altmetric Bookmarklet 
  • Sage Policy Profiles 
  • Alternative metrics available in Dimensions, Scopus, some journal publisher websites (e.g., Elsevier, Nature, PLOS ONE, Springer, The Lancet, etc.), and repositories may also capture some of the impact on policy.

Examples: 

  • Prevention of disease 
  • Improved cost effectiveness of public programs 

Responsible Use of Metrics

Metrics can be misleading if they are used in an inappropriate way or presented without important context.

While quantitative indicators—including bibliometrics and altmetrics—offer valuable insights, they only tell part of the story. To full communicate the significance of research, these indicators must be complemented by qualitative impact narratives that capture context, reach, partner voices, and real-world change. This holistic approach ensures that assessment reflects both the depth and diversity of research contributions.

To use indicators responsibly, we need to:

  • Understand that research outputs are many and varied, including but not limited to articles, books, data, software, patents, policy documents, etc. 
  • Use both quantitative and qualitative indicators when describing research impact. 
  • Understand the context and limitations of quantitative indicators before using them, for example: 
    • Journal-based indicators should not be used to measure or compare the quality of individual research outputs or individual researchers;
    •  H-index is not normalized, so h-index should not be used for comparisons across different subject areas or different career-stages; 
    • Different subject areas and document types have different citation patterns, which should be taken into account when conducting comparisons. 
  • Understand the coverage and limitations of bibliometrics and altmetrics databases before using/reporting the data. 
The resources below outline the principles for using metrics and assessing research impact in a responsible way : 

 

Contact Us

For more support in helping describe your research impact, contact Mariam Hayward, Director, Inclusive Research Excellence and Impact.