Most, if not all, in academia aspire to make a meaningful difference inside universities and in the larger world. This sounds simple enough, yet even defining what constitutes a “meaningful difference” can become difficult. Additionally, scarce resources can make pressure to perform intense. Some professors cynically see dissemination of research a marketing game that does not add real value. In this book, Anne-Wil Harzing argues that efforts to enhance impact play a critical role, and she shows us how to make the most of our opportunities in a very modern world of media.
Gone are the days when scholars can just publish and quietly conduct a research program in their labs or studies. For better or for worse, an academic’s career can make or break based on connectivity – how much others are aware of their research. The world of the Internet clues us all into what others are doing, often with too much information. Publication bibliometrics, one of my professional passions, can facilitate comparisons of impact and refinements of future work. As discussed, blogs and social media can enhance academics’ reach both inside the academy and in the wider world. Harzing addresses specifics on how researchers can tap into these amplification tools.
In the concluding chapter, Harzing does not limit herself to look at research outcomes but also looks at the research process. Equity, collaboration, and community can all sharpen the aim of the reach of research. Studies from many fields demonstrate conclusively that social diversity – whether in specialty, worldview, geographic origin, or almost every other factor – produces better business outcomes. Harzing couples specific suggestions with stories from experience to inspire us.
Academics are the obvious audience for this book. She does advertise the Publish or Perish software that her lab freely puts out, but the overwhelming substance of this book focuses on how to approach and think about research impact. I’ve long been told that the first step to improve a process is to measure it meaningfully. This book doesn’t have all the answers to measuring research impact, but it identifies what’s out there so that universities can focus our efforts more keenly.
Measuring and Improving Research Impact
By Anne-Wil Harzing
Copyright (c) 2023
Tarma Software Research Ltd.
ISBN13 9781739609757
Page Count: 118
Genre: Research
Sponsored link to www.amazon.com