Assessing the impact of your research can feel intimidating. With countless metrics, indicators, and variables to consider, understanding how your work contributes to your field—and beyond—can be overwhelming. In this post, we will explore effective ways to conduct a self-assessment of your research influence. This process not only helps you grasp your work's reach and significance but also guides you in improving your future research. And, I will share my own assessment too using ChatGPT to assess the impact of my work.
In exploring ways to assess my own research impact, I used ChatGPT to streamline and organize information from my Google Scholar profile. While I closely reviewed and edited the output for accuracy, the tool provided a helpful starting point for summarizing key contributions and insights into my research influence. This exercise underscores the potential for integrating AI tools thoughtfully to enhance academic productivity and communication. But, first, let me tell you how this all got started and share a broader overview before sharing my own example and assessment.
This all started in the new year as I was focusing on assessing research impact and made a social media post to encourage researchers to more proactively consider their impact.
I wrote on LinkedIn:
📢 Tip for Researchers: Impact is the currency of academic success! As you plan your research goals for the year, focus not only on what you wish to accomplish but also on how your work will influence your field and beyond.
Here are a few ways to maximize your scholarly influence:
✔️ Focus on quality over quantity: Publish impactful studies in reputable journals.
✔️ Collaborate strategically: Interdisciplinary partnerships can enhance both the scope and reach of your work.
✔️ Track your H-index: This metric reflects how many of your papers have been cited at least that number of times—e.g., an H-index of 10 means 10 papers were each cited 10+ times. It’s a powerful indicator of your research productivity and influence.
✔️ Engage with broader audiences: Share findings on social media, at conferences, and with policymakers to ensure your work drives change beyond academia.
✔️ Plan for sustainability: Set goals to build a lasting legacy through mentorship, capacity building, or long-term projects.
🌟 A personal note: This year, I reached my own goal of an H-index of 50—a milestone that reflects many years of research, teamwork and collaborations. Remember, building your research influence takes time, but pays off in grants, fellowships, awards, and academic or professional development opportunities.
🌍 Let’s make 2025 a year of meaningful, impactful research!
What steps will you take to enhance your influence this year? Share your thoughts below!
With the response to that post, on and off social media, and my continued thinking, I'm adding more information in this post with some specific examples and the strategy I tried recently.
Understanding Research Impact
Research impact refers to the effect your work has on academia, industry practices, and societal advancements. It goes beyond traditional metrics like citation counts and publication records. It includes how your research influences policy, practices, and public understanding.
The definition of impact can vary across disciplines. For instance, a groundbreaking study in exercise science may not receive as much attention in public health, it all depends. So,
it is important to tailor your assessment to your specific discipline and goals. But, for simplicity, many of us use the H-index, even when there are many limitations of that tool. There are lots of resources about that and also more below.
Defining Your Goals
Before you start evaluating your impact, defining what "impact" means for you is vital. Are you looking for more academic visibility, societal change, or industry applications? Maybe your focus is on influencing policy or advancing education. Your objectives shape the methods you use to measure your impact.
Key Questions to Consider:
What kind of influence do I want to achieve?
Who are my target audiences, and how should they perceive my work?
What methods have I used to share my research?
Answering these questions will provide a strong foundation for your self-assessment process and align it with your overall career objectives. It will also help you better define how to develop your research portfolio, needs and resources. It is like having a strategic plan for the next few years or even over 5-10 years. It takes time to have an impact and so we need to plan accordingly. In public health and other health disciplines, we often discuss the "17 year" impact cycle that is often referenced in the health sector as the number of years it takes for health research to turn into new or improved clinical practice or patience care.
Utilizing Quantitative Metrics
Quantitative metrics are common methods for assessing research impact. Here are some key tools and indices to consider:
Citation Analysis
Analyzing citations is a straightforward way to evaluate your research impact. Platforms like Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science offer citation counts for your published works. A higher citation count often indicates that others are recognizing and utilizing your research. For example, a paper with over 100 citations has likely influenced a substantial number of scholars in your field.
H-Index
The H-index measures both productivity and citation impact. It is defined as the maximum value of h such that h publications have at least h citations each. For instance, if your H-index is 15, it means you have 15 papers that have all been cited at least 15 times. This metric helps convey your overall impact and consistency in research output. You can easily get your own H-index and I have found that using google scholar is a great place to get your latest number (and I highly recommend you have a google scholar account for several reasons).
Here is a screenshot of what my google scholar profile looks like. You see that my citations and H-index are provided in the top right corner. So, my H-index is 50 and my i10 index is 125. The interpretation of these numbers is that I have 50 published papers who have each been cited 50 or more times. And, I have 125 papers who have been cited at least 10 times.
While there are limitations of this metric and its use, it is hard to argue with its simplicity which is likely why it remains a go to tool for impact analyses. Of course, the utility of the tool varies by discipline.
Altmetrics
While traditional citation metrics are useful, they may not capture your research's full impact, especially in today’s digital age. Altmetrics track attention your work receives on social media, news outlets, and blogs. Tools like PlumX and Altmetric.com provide a broader view of how your research is discussed beyond academic circles. For example, if a paper goes viral on Twitter, that attention might surpass traditional citation metrics. So, these new strategies for how to assess impact will likely also become increasingly important. I'm learning about these and welcome recommendations.
Qualitative Assessments
Quantitative metrics are helpful, but they don’t tell the entire story. Qualitative assessments are also important for understanding your research impact:
Peer Feedback
Gathering feedback from colleagues and peers offers rich insights into the significance of your work. This can be done through informal conversations, networking events, or structured peer review sessions. For example, receiving positive feedback on how your work has influenced teaching methods in universities can have a lasting impact on both academia and your career.
Case Studies
Examine how your research has been applied in practice. Collecting case studies illustrates the real-world implications of your work. For instance, if your research on renewable energy informed local policy changes, detailing that impact shows the potential changes your work has inspired. I have some great and impactful success stories about our global work and how it has been incorporated in policy making and new strategies. For example, our research on alcohol in Kampala has been instrumental in policy discussion, community awareness and legislation. it is very important to keep track of these success stories and think about how to capture these impacts and how to tell the story and progression of this impact.
Evaluating Your Online Presence
In today's digital age, your online presence can greatly influence your research impact. I highly recommend the online visibility check that is provided by Utrecht University. It takes less than 5 minutes and it does a great overview assessment.
Here are other ways to assess and enhance your online presence:
Personal Website
Creating a personal research website centralizes your work and makes it accessible. Include links to your publications, presentations, and any media coverage you’ve received. This enhances your visibility and positions you as an expert in your field. You are finding this blog for my research lab and this is where I post project updates, position announcement, and also disseminate our research findings.
Social Media Engagement
Platforms like X and LinkedIn can effectively promote your research. Track your engagement levels—likes, shares, and retweets—since these figures indicate how much attention your work receives outside traditional academic channels. For instance, a well-shared post can reach thousands, amplifying your work's visibility. And, while these social media platforms evolve, there are likely others that may suit your discipline. But, it is hard to get visibility for your work if you don't put in some effort on social media or use other strategies.
Leveraging Collaborations
Collaborative opportunities can considerably enhance your research impact. Working with others, such as other researchers or industry partners, can extend your reach. Reflect on your collaborative projects by considering:
Who your partners are and how they have contributed to your work
The joint initiatives or projects resulting from these collaborations
How collaboration has increased the visibility of your research
Setting Future Goals
After assessing your current impact, setting actionable goals for what’s next is essential. Consider:
Targeting more reputable journals for publication
Securing funds for open access publications
Improving your online presence
Seeking collaborative opportunities
Engaging more with the broader community
Use your self-assessment as a springboard for continuous improvement. Periodically revisit your impact evaluation to monitor your progress. But, it is important to reflect and acknowledge that impact is the currency of academic success.
Continuous Growth in Research Impact
Understanding and assessing your research impact is crucial for your personal growth as a scholar and contributor to society. By utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods, you can achieve a well-rounded understanding of your research influence. Remember, this assessment is not a final destination but an ongoing journey that evolves as your career progresses.
As you navigate the complex landscape of research impact, focus on setting clear goals and regularly evaluating your progress. The insights gained from your self-evaluation will empower you to become a more effective researcher and increase the significance of your work in academia and beyond. I highly recommend that you give this some thought, at least yearly. for those in academic settings and who need to make a case for tenure and promotion, this is particularly important. Do you have a cohesive well-articulated research portfolio and agenda? And, what impact will it have (or has had)?
As promised, I'm also sharing an impact analysis that I did of my own work using AI. For context, I'm working on a grant proposal to a foundation and was surprised that they needed me to describe and explain in 1,000 words my impact to science and also list my 10 most impactful papers. Where should I start? How do I define impact?
Sometimes it feels a bit daunting to figure out how to claim our expertise and contributions and claim their impact. Most of us are not trained on these aspects of marketing and impact analysis and find that it feels or seems self serving and perhaps sometimes arrogant to highlight our reach and impact. This is a topic I often discuss with my mentees and colleagues who often mention the imposter syndrome (where someone accomplished feels like a fraud or doubting their competence). This is real and something we need to consider (particularly those of us who serve as mentors). It is also one of the reasons I made myself draft this blog post to provide some strategies and encourage us to think of our impact and use strategies that seem more objective. Clearly, I needed better strategies also for myself and my own work.
In terms of assessing impact, it is something that is often requested for grant proposals specifically. As an example, I draft grant proposals for the National Institutes of Health (US government) and they require biosketches of all key personnel (which are the lead researchers). These biosketches summarize our degrees, education, training, honors and awards, also include sections that describe our contributions to science. In these sections we typically draft a paragraph and then list 4 related publications. This is fairly straightforward and I have tinkered with those over the years. The contributions of science may change depending on how many research areas we pursue and the topic of the grant proposal.
So, this new request by the foundation, seemed a bit more daunting, drafting 1,000 words and highlighting the most impactful papers with no defined criteria.
As I considered strategies for how to approach this, I immediately considered the citation index as that is a well established metric that is easily understood and that I use for other purposes. Next, I tried a new strategy, I reviewed my 10 most cited papers (as listed in google scholar) and asked ChatGPT to analyze these papers and my contribution.
To do this, I simply copied and pasted the list from my google scholar profile into the ChatGPT message box, making sure the citation information was included. With some minor tinkering this is the list it generated with information pertaining to relevance, impact and my role. I was impressed with the output. And, it felt great to have ChatGPT "objectively" help me determine the impact. See below how it was structured.
10 Most Significant Research Outputs
1. Whitaker, DJ; Haileyesus, T; Swahn, MH; Saltzman, LS (2007). Differences in frequency of violence and reported injury between relationships with reciprocal and nonreciprocal intimate partner violence. American Journal of Public Health, 97(5), 941-947.
Cited By: 853
Relevance: Highlights the dynamics of reciprocal and nonreciprocal intimate partner violence, providing critical insights into injury outcomes and violence patterns.
Impact: Widely cited in IPV research and prevention strategies, informing interventions aimed at reducing IPV and associated injuries.
My Role: Contributed to data analysis, interpretation, and manuscript preparation.
2. Dahlberg, LL; Toal, SB; Swahn, MH; Behrens, CB (2005). Measuring violence-related attitudes, behaviors, and influences among youths: A compendium of assessment tools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cited By: 465
Relevance: Provides standardized tools for assessing violence-related behaviors and attitudes, critical for global youth violence research.
Impact: Adopted widely in research and intervention design, this work enhanced the rigor and comparability of youth violence studies.
My Role: Co-authored and contributed to the identification and selection of assessment tools.
3. Swahn, MH; Bossarte, RM; Sullivent, EE III (2008). Age of alcohol use initiation, suicidal behavior, and peer and dating violence victimization and perpetration among high-risk, seventh-grade adolescents. Pediatrics, 121(2), 297-305.
Cited By: 322
Relevance: Explores the interplay of early alcohol use with suicidal behaviors and violence, identifying critical points for early intervention.
Impact: Used as evidence for early intervention programs targeting high-risk youth populations.
My Role: Lead author; pricmipal investigator, conceptualized the study, conducted analyses, and wrote the manuscript.
4. Swahn, MH; Bossarte, RM (2007). Gender, early alcohol use, and suicide ideation and attempts: Findings from the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(2), 175-181.
Cited By: 292
Relevance: Examines the gender-specific relationship between early alcohol use and suicidal ideation, emphasizing the need for gender-sensitive interventions.
Impact: Influenced suicide prevention strategies for adolescents.
My Role: Primary investigator; led data analysis, interpretation, and writing.
5. Schinka, KC; Van Dulmen, MH; Mata, AD; Bossarte, R; Swahn, M (2013). Psychosocial predictors and outcomes of loneliness trajectories from childhood to early adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 36(6), 1251-1260.
Cited By: 258
Relevance: Investigates loneliness trajectories and their psychosocial predictors, indirectly informing violence prevention and mental health initiatives.
Impact: Highlighted in frameworks addressing childhood mental health challenges and interventions.
My Role: Co-author; provided expertise in psychosocial and violence factors.
6. Swahn, MH; Simon, TR; Hammig, BJ; Guerrero, JL (2004). Alcohol-consumption behaviors and risk for physical fighting and injuries among adolescent drinkers. Addictive Behaviors, 29(5), 959-963.
Cited By: 245
Relevance: Establishes the connection between adolescent drinking behaviors and the risk of violence and injury.
Impact: Informed school-based violence prevention programs and alcohol education initiatives.
My Role: Lead author; developed the study design, conducted analyses, and drafted the manuscript.
7. Brewer, RD; Swahn, MH (2005). Binge drinking and violence. JAMA, 294(5), 616-618.
Cited By: 236
Relevance: Demonstrates the significant public health risks of binge drinking and its association with violence.
Impact: Influenced alcohol policy discussions and harm reduction efforts globally.
My Role: Co-author; thought leader, contributed to conceptualization and dissemination.
8. Hamburger, ME; Leeb, RT; Swahn, MH (2008). Childhood maltreatment and early alcohol use among high-risk adolescents. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 69(2), 291-295.
Cited By: 228
Relevance: Links childhood maltreatment experiences with early alcohol use, emphasizing the importance of addressing childhood trauma.
Impact: Supported trauma-informed care approaches and early substance use prevention programs.
My Role: Co-author; contributed to study design, data interpretation, and writing.
9. Swahn, MH; Simon, TR; Hertz, MF; Arias, I; Bossarte, RM; Ross, JG; Gross, LA, et al. (2008). Linking dating violence, peer violence, and suicidal behaviors among high-risk youth. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 34(1), 30-38.
Cited By: 203
Relevance: Connects multiple forms of violence and their linkage to suicidal behaviors among youth, emphasizing the complexity of prevention strategies.
Impact: Supported multidisciplinary violence prevention initiatives.
My Role: Lead author; principal investigator for study, oversaw analyses and authored the publication.
10. Swahn, MH; Donovan, JE (2004). Correlates and predictors of violent behavior among adolescent drinkers. Journal of Adolescent Health, 34(6), 480-492.
Cited By: 184
Relevance: Explores the factors associated with violent behaviors in adolescent drinkers, offering insights for targeted prevention strategies.
Impact: Informed interventions addressing violence and substance use among adolescents.
My Role: Lead author; developed the study design and conducted analyses.
I was very pleasantly surprised at this nice output and found no errors to correct.
Since I had some additional words to use in my response regarding my research contributions, I asked ChatGPT again for a recommended overview of my work using the google scholar profile and my H-index. And, it helped me draft some narrative that I enhanced and rewrote as follows:
Dr. Monica Swahn is an internationally renowned global health researcher, thought leader, and psychiatric epidemiologist whose research outputs have significantly advanced public health. With over 150 peer-reviewed publications (H-index 50), her work is widely cited and recognized for addressing critical public health challenges, including alcohol-related harm, gender-based violence, and mental health disparities. Dr. Swahn’s studies have contributed to a deeper understanding of the interplay between substance use, violence, and mental health, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations in sub-Saharan Africa and the U.S.
Her research has been supported by prestigious organizations, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Swahn’s high-impact publications are widely cited, shaping global discussions and informing evidence-based interventions and policies in public health. Among her most influential works are studies examining the social determinants of health, the role of alcohol in violent behaviors, and youth mental health in urban slums.
Dr. Swahn’s contributions extend beyond academia, as her research has directly influenced policy and community-based interventions. Her work is characterized by methodological rigor and a commitment to health equity, cementing her reputation as a leader generating new knowledge and innovation in global health research and psychiatric epidemiology.
This was a very interesting exercise and use of ChatGPT (and felt quite empowering). I had not previously considered using this tool for this purpose, but it was insightful and prepared some interesting text and analyses that I could build on leveraging the information in the google scholar profile and using AI. As always when using AI tools, please be careful as it may produce incorrect information. Always closely review the AI output for accuracy and ensure you comply with any guidelines or restrictions in terms of using AI.
In this case, it saved me some time and simply built on existing information to help me organize and streamline how I could summarize and share the impact of my work and contributions. Hopefully it will give you some ideas and strategies for how you can approach analyzing your own work and contributions as well.
And, research in public health is based on extensive team work and collaborations. So, let me acknowledge and thank my many collaborators, team members, mentors, mentees, students and others who have worked with me to conduct all this research over the past 30 years. Thank You!
Commentaires