Defining, measuring, and rewarding scholarly impact: mind the level of analysis

Ravi S. Ramani, Herman Aguinis and Jacqueline A.M. Coyle-Shapiro

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: We address the grossly incorrect inferences that result from using journal impact factor (JIF) as a proxy to assess individual researcher and article scholarly impact. This invalid practice occurs because of confusion about the definition and measurement of impact at different levels of analysis. Specifically, JIF is a journal-level measure of impact, computed by aggregating citations of individual articles (i.e., upward effect), and is therefore inappropriate when measuring impact at lower levels of analysis, such as that of individual researchers, or of individual articles published in a particular journal (i.e., downward effect). We illustrate the severity of the errors that occur when using JIF to evaluate individual scholarly impact, and advocate for an immediate moratorium on the exclusive use of JIF and other journal-level (i.e., higher level of analysis) measures when assessing the impact of individual researchers and individual articles (i.e., lower level of analysis). Given the importance and interest in assessing the scholarly impact of researchers and articles, we delineate level-appropriate and readily available measures.

JEL-codes: J50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2022-09-21
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-inv and nep-sog
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in Academy of Management Learning and Education, 21, September, 2022, 21(3), pp. 470 - 486. ISSN: 1537-260X

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:117286

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