Measuring the Societal Impact of Research Publications
Author Information
Author(s): Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas E Dorner, Manfred Maier
Primary Institution: Medical University of Vienna
Hypothesis
How can the societal impact of research publications be practically assessed?
Conclusion
The developed tool provides valuable insights for assessing the societal impact of publications based on scientists' perceptions.
Supporting Evidence
- The tool assesses societal impact through three dimensions: publication aim, authors' efforts, and translation accomplishment.
- Focus group discussions revealed the need for a practical tool to measure societal impact.
- External experts rated the tool's comprehensibility, relevance, and practicability as acceptable.
Takeaway
Scientists think we need a better way to measure how research helps society, and this study created a tool to do just that.
Methodology
Qualitative study using focus group discussions with biomedical scientists to develop and evaluate a tool for measuring societal impact.
Potential Biases
Potential bias from dominant voices in focus groups.
Limitations
The focus group method may not account for hierarchical influences, and the tool is not yet ready for routine implementation.
Participant Demographics
Biomedical scientists from the Medical University of Vienna.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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