What are metrics?

Metrics are part of the study of the quantitative aspects of information – known as informetrics. These numerical measures are used to assess both quality and impact but were originally developed as a way for library staff to select which publications to stock. Since then their use has evolved and they have become increasingly important in many areas, not least in exercises such as the REF. As with much of the traditional research process, questions have been raised about the suitability of metrics as an assessment tool and this will be discussed later in the module.

In the library context there are two main areas to be aware of:

• Bibliometrics is the statistical analysis of outputs and includes well-known measures such as the journal impact factor or h-index. They are usually used as a way to showcase the impact of a piece or work, an individual researcher or their institution.
• Altmetrics were developed as an alternative method of assessing research and often focus on non-traditional methods of publication such as social media and news reports.

One way to think of metrics is to consider the different areas which they aim to measure. In their book Meaningful Metrics authors Roemer and Borchardt categorise these into four levels:

The first level of metrics looks at individual scholarly contributions. Measuring the actual scholarly output such as the journal article or book chapter has long been part of academic reality for researchers but it is taking on extra significance. As seen in the research lifecycle, the work doesn't stop upon publication of an output and researchers need to make an effort to promote their work to ensure it's noticed. The second level is venues of production which looks at the mechanism by which the output is shared, for example the journal that publishes an article. Traditionally this has been used by researchers when selecting which titles/publishers to approach with their work and to rank these in order of preference. The third level focuses on the individual author of an output and measurements of this type are increasingly being used to make decisions such as who to hire or promote. The final level looks at the impact of the wider group of institution to which the output or researcher belongs. The metrics determined at other levels are often collated to gather this broader picture of impact.