Research Impact: The Challenges of SDG Evidencing
Research Impact, the influence of scientific research beyond academia, has been observable worldwide. Several countries have introduced national research assessment systems, notably the UK REF, to review the impact evidences in addition to the traditional citation counts.
The biggest challenge for both Institutions and Researchers is to be creative in engaging targeted communities. This would mean moving away from the typical starting point of a questionnaire.
Engaging through social and mass media can be a powerful pathway to impact. Yet, the effect can only be determined by a portfolio of indicators, including visibility, citations, number of commercialization, and adaptation policies.
Challenges
Institutions
In 2018, THE (Times Higher Education) launched Impact Rankings, which adopted the UN’s SDG (sustainable development goals). Source
Today, most institutions have yet to implement any SDG aligned research policies, particularly one concerning research outreach and sharing.
Researchers
Individual researchers are yet to familiarize themselves with Impact Writing skills, which differ from the conventional manuscript writing approach.
Most researchers still viewed research publications as self-advocates, unaware that without post-publication outreach, their discoveries would remain unnoticed
Analytics
SDG-related research publication data are scarce for meaningful big data analysis
There are initiatives from university consortia and data providers attempting to map SDG with research using Integrated Assessment Models (IAM) and Text Mining technologies
SDG-related Research Highlights & Analytics
An example of individual research sharing mapped to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure) via Plain Language Summary, Video Abstract, and Graphical Abstract within a page. Source: Evolution of Feathers
The charts showcase the number of SDG-related publications produced by the University of Melbourne (UoM) and the University of Hong Kong (UHK) since 2011. Throughout the years, UoM researches were more aligned with SDG 3 (Good Health & Well Being), whereas UHK significantly aligned with SDG 7 (Affordable & Clean Energy). Data Source: Digital Science’s Dimensions
SDG can potentially be the catalyst for multidisciplinary research, collaboration, and complementary to social needs. Increasingly, more research funders will adopt such guidance in influencing future research directions
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