Impact Metrics

In response to h-index requests from NIST management and staff, Library staff provide comprehensive publication analysis studies and reports that ensure the h-index is put in proper context as one of several ways to assess the impact of an individual or group. The Library can also compile non-traditional measurements (altmetrics) of a researcher’s influence.

Top-tier journal analyses show the extent to which NIST publishes in the most highly cited journals in various disciplines. This is performed on an annual basis, along with a citation study that looks at NIST publication collaborations with external authors.

Impact can also be demonstrated with network visualizations. Library staff have used a variety of visualization programs—including Sci2, Gephi, CiteSpace, and several R packages*—to show how NIST-authored papers are connected to each other and to other work in various scientific disciplines. These visualizations, shown below, supplement more traditional charts and global citation maps.

The Library has also measured impacts of NIST’s patents and Standard Reference Databases (SRDs) using traditional measures such as citation counts along with mentions in the non-technical literature and on social media. Future work will integrate conventional metrics with more innovative approaches to the types of impact we measure and the way that these impacts are visualized.  

*Identification of commercial products does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.