Capturing scholarly output: more than a number

Capturing research output often relies on familiar quantitative metrics like h-index, journal impact factor and citations, despite evidence that these indicators are narrow, often misleading and insufficient to capture the full richness of scholarly work. 

While it is critical to assess the quality and impact of research outputs, we recognize the value of a broad range of impact measures. 

You may include article-level metrics like citation counts to demonstrate uptake of your work, but you should also give qualitative examples of important research outputs or further indicators of quality or impact. 

Reviewers are instructed not to use quantitative metrics alone as surrogates of quality when assessing proposals. For more information, see the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) website.


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