Skip to Main Content

Using Research Indicators

This guide provides information about indicators that can be used as a measure of research performance

Using Indicators of research quality, engagement and impact

Many indicators are used to benchmark research activities. These indicators should be used to inform and backup any discussion and analysis about research performance and achievement. These indicators should not be used as a substitute for expert judgment. For more information in the context of JCU, see the Evidencing Research and Scholarship Performance guide.

The types of metrics presented in this Library Guide are:

  • Publication and citation metrics: these are widely used indicators of research performance and achievement.
  • Journal metrics: must be used with caution because they are calculated as an average of the citation performance of a journal and do not provide a direct indication of the performance of individual research outputs or researchers.
  • Collaboration metrics, altmetrics and public engagement: other indicators that can provide useful information.

For more information about the JCU context, go to the Research Performance Data webpage.

We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and acknowledge Traditional Owners of the lands where our staff and students, live, learn and work.Acknowledgement of Country

Creative Commons Licence
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International License. Content from this Guide should be attributed to James Cook University Library. This does not apply to images, third party material (seek permission from the original owner) or any logos or insignia belonging to JCU or other bodies, which remain All Rights Reserved.

.