A talk given at the SCAP Symposium on August 12 2012. The talk focuses on the question of how new tools for tracking the use and re-use of research provide new mechanisms by which we can demonstrate and investigate research impact with a particular focus on those papers published from the University of Cape Town with PLOS.

1. Research Assessment to
Support Research Impact
Cameron Neylon
University of Cape Town - 10 August 2012

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3. There is a gaping (ethical, moral)
hole in our assessment systems
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amanderson/2421035280 CC-BY

4. But if we throw it all out...?
Something missing...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/limaoscarjuliet/3305886294 CC-BY

5. key points
http://www.flickr.com/photos/y_i/2360600227 CC-BY

6. http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrec/2893549851 CC-BY

7. I don’t have answers...
...only questions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drachmann/327122302 CC-BY-SA

8. What do you value?

9. What is your mission?

10. Values Mission

11. Mission Assessment

12. Mission Assessment

13. Mission Assessment

14. http://www.flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/2050334184 CC-BY

15. Can we measure better?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sterlic/4299631538 CC-BY

16. An assertion.

17. We want to see
scholarship used.

18. In the right places...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/velkr0/3472576304 CC-BY

19. In the right places...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/argonne/3465398655 CC-BY

20. In the right places...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ol1/6048544977 CC-BY-SA

21. ...at the right time.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robbie73/3387189144 CC-BY-SA

22. We want scholarship to
be re-used and re-usable

24. Impact = Re-use

25. Application = Re-use

26. Commercialised = Re-use

27. Education = Re-use

28. Engagement = Re-use

29. ...but also...

30. Citation = Re-use

31. http://www.flickr.com/photos/flavinsky/3410980137 CC-BY

32. I can’t tell you which
ones matter to you...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrec/2893549851 CC-BY

33. ...but we do have
new ways to
measure these...

34. Articles with impact...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/babasteve/3140688308 CC-BY

35. ...but (relatively)
few citations (yet)

36. PLOS papers authored by University of Cape Town staff
Usage data from the PLoS journal website (combined HTML views and PDF downloads). Circle size correlates with CrossRef
citation counts.
Total Views
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
0 20 40 60 80
Months
ALM data visualisations courtesy of Martin Fenner

37. PLOS papers authored by University of Cape Town staff
Usage data from the PLoS journal website (combined HTML views and PDF downloads). Circle size correlates with CrossRef
citation counts.
Total Views
14000 Guidance for Evidence-Informed Policies about Health Systems:
Rationale for and Challenges of Guidance Development
12000
Building the Field of Health Policy and Systems Research:
10000
Framing the Questions, PLOS Medicine
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
0 20 40 60 80
Months

38. PLOS papers authored by University of Cape Town staff
Usage data from the PLoS journal website (combined HTML views and PDF downloads). Circle size correlates with CrossRef
citation counts.
Total Views
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
0 20 40 60 80
Months

39. PLOS papers authored by University of Cape Town staff
Usage data from the PLoS journal website (combined HTML views and PDF downloads). Circle size correlates with CrossRef
citation counts. Red circles represent papers with "HIV" in title.
Total Views
15000
“HIV” in title
10000
5000
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0 20 40 60 80
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40. 5000
0
0 20

41. PLOS papers authored by University of Cape Town staff
Usage data from the PLoS journal website (combined HTML views and PDF downloads). Circle size correlates with CrossRef
citation counts.
Total Views
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
0 20 40 60 80
Months

42. PLOS papers authored by University of Cape Town staff
Usage data from the PLoS journal website (combined HTML views and PDF downloads). Circle size correlates with CrossRef
citation counts.
Total Views
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
0 20 40 60 80
Months

43. PLOS papers authored by University of Cape Town staff
Usage data from the PLoS journal website (combined HTML views and PDF downloads). Circle size correlates with CrossRef
citation counts. Red circles represent papers with "Health" in title.
Total Views
Toward a Global View of Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis, and Cocaine
50000 Use: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys
40000
Patient Adherence to Tuberculosis Treatment:
30000
A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research
20000
10000
0
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44. Lots of data...
http://total-impact.org/collection/yhb7tr

45. ...but here’s a story

46. altmetric.com

48. What’s the missing
audience for these
South African papers?

50. ...here’s one...

51. Not very high views

52. PLOS papers authored by University of Cape Town staff
Usage data from the PLoS journal website (combined HTML views and PDF downloads). Circle size correlates with CrossRef
citation counts. Red circles represent papers with "HIV" in title.
Total Views
15000
10000
Not an obvious outlier...
5000
0
0 20 40 60 80
Months

53. ...but highly relevant interactions

55. ...driven by this person...

56. ...who I can talk to.

59. See http://bit.ly/NJOyUn for the whole conversation

60. This. Is Impact.

61. It’s not about where
you publish...

62. ...but who you reach

63. p://www.flickr.com/photos/cappellmeister/39508741 CC-BY

64. Think at network scale...

65. You’re used to thinking
about reaching scholars...

67. ...but at the scale of the network...

69. ...there are many
ways to make
connections...

72. ...and not all of them
with your traditional
audience..

73. You don’t even know
who most of them are..

74. ...so how do you
maximise reach?

75. http://flickr.com/photos/virtualsugar/316200555/ CC-BY

76. key points
http://www.flickr.com/photos/y_i/2360600227 CC-BY

77. http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrec/2893549851 CC-BY

78. Values Mission

79. http://www.flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/2050334184 CC-BY

80. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sterlic/4299631538 CC-BY

81. Mission Assessment

82. Assessment Impact

83. p://www.flickr.com/photos/cappellmeister/39508741 CC-BY

84. Think like the network.

86. We can’t build a system
on yesterday’s truths.

87. We could maintain a
system on today’s....

88. ...for a while
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22746515@N02/4375854224 CC-BY

89. You build for the future
on tomorrow’s realities...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yakobusan/2436481628 CC-BY

90. Innovators don’t
follow markets...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/petrick/2291498814 CC-BY

91. ...they build them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98528214@N00/312210315/ CC-BY-SA

92. Networks are the future.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/3143417443 CC-BY

93. Not rankings...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73112697@N03/6597508893 CC-BY

94. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgifford/3558463424 CC-BY-SA

95. @cameronneylon
http://cameronneylon.net