Measuring Scholarly Productivity: A Primer for Junior Faculty. Part III: Understanding Publication Metrics

Abstract

There are approximately 78 indexed journals in the specialty of emergency medicine (EM), making it challenging to determine which is the best option for junior faculty. This paper is the final component of a three-part series focused on guiding junior faculty to enhance their scholarly productivity. As an EM junior faculty’s research career advances, the bibliometric tools and resources detailed in this paper should be considered when developing a publication submission strategy. The tenure and promotion decision process in many universities relies at least in part on these types of bibliometrics. This paper provides an understanding of new, alternative metrics that can be used to promote scientific progress in a transparent and timely manner.

On Lampposts, Sneetches, and Stars: A Call to Go Beyond Bibliometrics for Determining Academic Value

“…combine metrics in new ways. Other examples of these are more advanced concepts such as the h‐index (a person‐level impact factor) and alternative metrics (publication metrics that harness social media and mainstream media uptake to quantify impact with end‐users) . Similarly, normalized metrics proposed by Boudreaux and colleagues may be convenient as surrogates for the quality of an academic's scholarship, rather than a true indicator of quality.…”

“…Quantitative metrics such as journal impact factor as a surrogate for quality, but it is well known that journal impact factors do not always correlate with the quality of the work contained within the journal . While it is a reasonable inference that there must be some correlation between a paper's worth and its citations, it's important to realize this may not always be true.…”

“…Academic scholarship is something that we have always sought to quantify. Journal impact factor, CiteScore, h‐index, hi‐10, and the alternative metrics (Altmetrics) are terms that are familiar to seasoned academics . Junior scholars are often advise to use bibliometric and publication metrics to decide where to send their work .…”

“…Journal impact factor, CiteScore, h‐index, hi‐10, and the alternative metrics (Altmetrics) are terms that are familiar to seasoned academics . Junior scholars are often advise to use bibliometric and publication metrics to decide where to send their work . Whether we are talking about journal‐level, article‐level, or person‐level metrics, these are all human constructs that have arisen as ways to quantify the reach and impact of our academic work.…”

A Review of Journal Impact Metrics and Characteristics to Assist Emergency Medicine Investigators with Manuscript Submission Decisions

“…Although the comments to authors after rejections may help improve subsequent submissions, reflexively submitting to high-prestige journals with low likelihood of acceptance can nevertheless waste inordinate amounts of time for decisions and effort toward serial reformatting for particular journal requirements. 6 – 8 This futile effort can delay investigators from otherwise publishing in less prestigious journals that may be more likely to accept the manuscript, potentially rendering what may have been a timely, novel publication into a stale or redundant article and interrupting the natural evolution of using their published research as a launch point for other projects and grant proposals.…”