Measuring Research Impact Research Articles

Exploring Twitter as a social learning space for education scholars: An analysis of value‐added contributions to the #TPACK network

AbstractSocial media has been shown to be an efficient way to engage in networked participatory scholarship (NPS), which is defined as the use of online social networks to share and further develop scholarship. As leaders in the field, educational technology scholars should be at the forefront of this practice. We used social network analysis (SNA) to examine the structure and characteristics of the #TPACK Twitter network and to determine whether and how the users were engaging in value‐added NPS. Our findings revealed that the #TPACK Twitter network was loosely organized, and users were not very well connected outside of their clusters. Our findings also revealed that #TPACK tweets largely did not represent value‐added NPS. The majority of posts lacked useful context, were limited to merely sharing links to resources and did not establish meaningful interactions among users. The implications of this study provide a new direction for educational technology researchers and PK‐12 practitioners to approach social media from a value‐added standpoint and to apply value‐added NPS to improve their use of social media to advance research, enhance professional learning and forge closer ties between researchers and practitioners. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Publication in high‐impact academic journals and measuring research impact through citations and journal indexing is still the dominant practice in research dissemination; however, there is growth in the use of alternative methods and the use of altmetrics to measure the impact of these methods. Scholars struggle with using social media in ways that align with networked participatory scholarship (NPS). Social network analysis (SNA) is the study of the structure and characteristics of the relationships that form in social networks, and can be used to fanalyze an online social network. What this paper adds Value‐added social learning theory and NPS can be used in SNA to both evaluate and inform scholars' social media practices. Educational technology scholars and practitioners struggle with using social media for value‐added NPS. Lost opportunities for value‐added NPS that were documented in this study include lack of engagement with the wider network, not sharing the role of spreading ideas and not making value‐added contributions. Implications for practice and policy Education scholars should use SNA as a tool to evaluate the level of value‐added NPS in the social media networks around areas of study they care about so that they can develop both personal and systemic plans for implementing value‐added NPS to create more dynamic learning spaces on these platforms. Institutions should investigate ways they can remove barriers and incentivize value‐added NPS. Innovations in the dissemination of scholarship should involve helping scholars to develop the skills needed for successful value‐added NPS.

Analysis of neurosurgery resident research activity in the United States.

Evaluation of the demographic and academic characteristics of current neurosurgery residents may provide prospective students with insight into factors that affect research output. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the research output among neurosurgery residents. US neurosurgery residency programs were abstracted from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons website. Demographic data on 1690 current residents across 119 programs were collected using publicly available institutional websites, Doximity, and LinkedIn. The h-index of each resident was recorded using Scopus and exported into the NIH iCite tool to determine the weighted relative citation ratio (w-RCR) and mean relative citation ratio (m-RCR). The total number of publications, h-index, and w-RCR were used as a proxy for research output, while m-RCR was used to measure research impact. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis H-tests were used to assess the statistical significance of relationships between demographic data and measures of research activity. A total of 1690 residents (25.4% female), representing 119 programs, were evaluated. Neurosurgery residents had an average of 17 publications, h-index of 5.5, m-RCR of 1.4, and w-RCR of 16.9, with an upward trend of research activity by postgraduate year (PGY) class. Male residents on average had a greater total number of publications (p < 0.001), higher h-index (p < 0.001), and higher w-RCR (p = 0.002) compared with their female peers. Significant differences in research activity were also observed by degree (Doctor of Medicine [MD], Doctor of Osteopathy [DO], or other), where those with MD and other degrees had higher metrics than those with DO degrees. International medical graduates (IMGs) also had higher research output than American medical graduates (AMGs) (p < 0.001). Differences in all measures of research activity except impact were also observed in research activity when pre-residency medical school ranks were compared. The authors observed overall high research activity among neurosurgery residents. Factors such as gender, degree, PGY, IMG/AMG status, and medical school rank may therefore be related to the success of matching within neurological surgery. Although large disparities in gender representation have been identified in neurosurgery, newer classes are trending toward shrinking the gap. These data may be used by prospective residents to gauge changes and progress occurring in the neurosurgery match.

The Conceptualization and Measurement of Research Impact in Primary Health Care: Protocol for a Rapid Scoping Review.

The generation of research evidence and knowledge in primary health care (PHC) is crucial for informing the development and implementation of interventions and innovations and driving health policy, health service improvements, and potential societal changes. PHC research has broad effects on patients, practices, services, population health, community, and policy formulation. The in-depth exploration of the definition and measures of research impact within PHC is essential for broadening our understanding of research impact in the discipline and how it compares to other health services research. The objectives of the study are (1) to understand the conceptualizations and measures of research impact within the realm of PHC and (2) to identify methodological frameworks for evaluation and research impact and the benefits and challenges of using these approaches. The forthcoming review seeks to guide future research endeavors and enhance methodologies used in assessing research impact within PHC. The protocol outlines the rapid review and environmental scan approach that will be used to explore research impact in PHC and will be guided by established frameworks such as the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Impact Framework and the Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Alliance. The rapid review follows scoping review guidelines (PRISMA-ScR; Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews). The environmental scan will be done by consulting with professional organizations, academic institutions, information science, and PHC experts. The search strategy will involve multiple databases, citation and forward citation searching, and manual searches of gray literature databases, think tank websites, and relevant catalogs. We will include gray and scientific literature focusing explicitly on research impact in PHC from high-income countries using the World Bank classification. Publications published in English from 1978 will be considered. The collected papers will undergo a 2-stage independent review process based on predetermined inclusion criteria. The research team will extract data from selected studies based on the research questions and the CRISP (Consensus Reporting Items for Studies in Primary Care) protocol statement. The team will discuss the extracted data, enabling the identification and categorization of key themes regarding research impact conceptualization and measurement in PHC. The narrative synthesis will evolve iteratively based on the identified literature. The results of this study are expected at the end of 2024. The forthcoming review will explore the conceptualization and measurement of research impact in PHC. The synthesis will offer crucial insights that will guide subsequent research, emphasizing the need for a standardized approach that incorporates diverse perspectives to comprehensively gauge the true impact of PHC research. Furthermore, trends and gaps in current methodologies will set the stage for future studies aimed at enhancing our understanding and measurement of research impact in PHC. PRR1-10.2196/55860.

Investigation of research support services (RSS) in academic libraries of India

Research is crucial not only for the growth of a country but also for society as a whole, especially in a knowledge-based society. At each stage of research, scientists and researchers require support from various research stakeholders in the form of information resources and pertinent assistance. Consequently, academic libraries, as one of the most important stakeholders in research and the backbone of knowledge acquisition, storage, and dissemination processes, offer a variety of services to support research endeavors in their parent institutions. The current study classifies these services into eight major categories, viz. “Research Guides, Research Consultancy, Research Impact Measurement, Open Access, Research Tools Recommendation, Research Data Management (RDM), Scholarly Publishing, and Archiving and Preservation of Research Output (Article, Data, etc.).” The purpose of this study is to investigate the implementation status of these Research Support Services (RSS) in academic libraries of India (which include a total of 212 institutions, counting all of India’s “Central Universities (CUs)” (56) and “Institutes of National Importance (INIs)” (156) by referring to the related information provided on their respective library websites. The findings show that Indian academic libraries lack significant adoption and cognizance of research support services, and their implementation is in its infancy. The study reveals that very few academic libraries offer RDM services, whereas the vast majority of academic libraries provide recommendations for research tools. Indian academic libraries need to actively explore various RSS and make them a part of their core offerings. Additionally, they should look into novel ways to support researchers at different phases of their studies.

Measuring research quality in a more inclusive way: Evidence from the UK Research Excellence Framework

Abstract Evidence suggests that common metrics of research quality—e.g. journal publications and citations—are systematically biased against certain groups. But does relying solely on them to evaluate quality lead to lower diversity in academia? In this paper, we start to answer this question by analysing data from the UK’s nationwide research assessment exercise, the Research Excellence Framework. We find that narrowly focussed output-based measures of departmental research quality do indeed negatively correlate with the diversity of departmental staff, while measures of research impact and of the quality of the research environment correlate positively. An aggregate measure that incorporates all three components is therefore likely to better promote staff diversity compared to more narrowly defined output-focused measures. More generally, our results suggest that comprehensive definitions of research quality may be more effective at promoting diversity in academia compared to narrower measures. We further argue that funding decisions informed by broader measures result in more efficient resource allocations across the higher education sector.

187 Translating for Impact: a free online toolkit for demonstrating the larger impact of your work

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The Translational Science Benefits Model offers an approach for evaluating the downstream health and social impact of research. Using the new Translating for Impact Toolkit of nine web-based tools, researchers can create free, secure accounts to plan, track, and demonstrate the impact of their work. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Development of the online toolkit includes 6 phases: 1) Review of existing tools, 2) Development of fillable PDF tool prototypes, 3) Pilot testing, 4) Development of web-based tools, 5) Usability testing, and 6) Refinement of web-based tools. First, we reviewed existing tools for measuring research impact. We then created prototypes of nine tools, published on the TSBM website, and pilot tested with researchers. Based on feedback and testing, we developed and launched web-based versions of the tools. We are currently conducting usability testing with researchers, which we will use to evaluate the ease-of-use and quality of the tools, identify areas for improvement, and refine the tools. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Researchers can sign up for user accounts, create projects, invite collaborators and program administrators, and save progress as the complete the nine tools in the Translating for Impact Toolkit. The tools are divided into three steps: Plan (Roadmap to Impact, Benefits 2x2, Partner Mapper, and Team Manager), Track (Impact Tracker), and Demonstrate (Product Navigator, Case Study Builder, Impact Profile, and Dissemination Planner). The toolkit also includes a dashboard that provides a quick snapshot of translational impact for each project. The toolkit will help both individual translational scientists demonstrate the impact of their work and CTSA hubs evaluate impact of their projects. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The TSBM online toolkit is a free, secure, easy-to-use platform researchers can use to plan for, track, and demonstrate the impacts of their work. The toolkit provides a structured process that will help the next generation of scientists prioritize and promote translational impact in their work.

Scholar Metrics Scraper (SMS): automated retrieval of citation and author data.

Academic departments, research clusters and evaluators analyze author and citation data to measure research impact and to support strategic planning. We created Scholar Metrics Scraper (SMS) to automate the retrieval of bibliometric data for a group of researchers. The project contains Jupyter notebooks that take a list of researchers as an input and exports a CSV file of citation metrics from Google Scholar (GS) to visualize the group's impact and collaboration. A series of graph outputs are also available. SMS is an open solution for automating the retrieval and visualization of citation data.

Evaluasi Peran Dewan Pengawas Syariah di Indonesia

This research discusses the evaluation of the Sharia Supervisory Board's (DPS) role in the context of Islamic finance in Indonesia through a bibliometric approach. The research focuses on the development of literature related to DPS and its impact on Islamic finance. The rapidly evolving literature in Islamic finance (Siddiqui, 2016; Hasan, 2014) highlights the need for evaluating the role of DPS to ensure its effectiveness (Hasan et al., 2020). The study employs bibliometric methods to identify research trends, main topics, and the impact of literature on DPS. Key references include Siddiqui's work (2016) on the development of Islamic finance in Southeast Asia and Hasan's study (2014) on Sharia governance in Islamic banks. Additionally, Khan (2018) and Kettell (2011) provide in-depth insights into Islamic business ethics and the introduction of Islamic finance. Research findings from this analysis reveal literature gaps and affirm the relevance of bibliometric methods in measuring research impact, identifying trends, and addressing literature gaps. The implications support further research development with a focus on underexplored aspects, including regional exploration and cross-country comparisons. Recommendations involve developing alternative evaluation methods, practitioner case studies, and contributions to policy development related to the role of DPS, utilizing specific performance indicators, and exploring technology implementation in the context of Islamic finance. These suggestions are expected to guide future researchers in developing more in-depth and relevant studies in this continuously evolving domain.

Demographics and Research Activity Among 2023 Academic Glaucoma Specialists

ABSTRACT Purpose To characterize demographics, academic characteristics, and research activity of academic glaucoma specialists. Methods Faculty demographic and academic data were recorded for glaucoma specialist faculty from 99 United States ophthalmology residency programs using institutional websites, Doximity, and LinkedIn. H-index was calculated using Scopus. Mean and weighted relative citation ratio (RCR), measuring research impact and productivity, respectively, was determined with the National Institute of Health iCite tool. Results Most academic glaucoma specialists were men (0.61), located in the Southern United States (0.316), and in practice for less than or equal to 10 years in 2023 (0.324). Twenty-six percent had additional professional degrees, and 11% completed fellowship training in addition to clinical glaucoma. Assistant professor was the most common academic appointment (0.479), and almost a quarter (0.23) had additional positions. Mean h-index (13.3), mean-RCR (1.76), and weighted-RCR (84.0) were consistent with high research productivity and impact. Gender comparison found that men had significantly higher h-index (p < .001), m-RCR (p = .007), w-RCR (p < .001) as compared to women. H-index (p < .001; p < .001; p < .001), m-RCR (p = .006; p < .001; p < .001), and w-RCR (p < .001; p < .001; p < .001) also increased with career duration, academic position, and additional academic appointments, respectively. Additional training was associated with higher h-index (p = .023) and w-RCR (p = .012), but not m-RCR (p = .699). Conclusion Higher research activity is significantly associated with higher departmental positions and additional academic appointments. This illustrates the importance of research contributions for academic promotion. Variations in research activity by gender distribution may therefore affect opportunities for career advancement.

Measuring Research Impact in a Health Service Is a Worthy but Complex Goal; A Response to Recent Commentaries.

Measuring Research Impact in a Health Service Is a Worthy but Complex Goal; A Response to Recent Commentaries.

Legal research and the public good: the current landscape

Abstract This paper is a revised version of a plenary lecture delivered at the SLS Annual Conference held at Oxford Brookes University in June 2023. It adopts an auto-ethnographic approach, drawing on the author's long experience of participating in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF), to assess the current state of legal research in the UK and consider the implications of the increasing importance in the research landscape of engaging in research that serves the public good. The paper explores what falls within the scope of ‘legal research’, particularly for REF purposes, and reflects on how REF-focused research sits within the broader scope of legal scholarly activities. Ideas of the public good are examined and their relation to measures of research impact probed. The paper concludes by painting a broad-brush picture of the current research landscape, identifying key elements and engines of change, and speculating on the direction in which things are going and what should most concern legal scholars going forward. Although primarily focused on legal research in the UK, the paper should be of interest to legal scholars beyond the UK, particularly those in jurisdictions where research assessment exercises are a feature of academic life.

Cerebral palsy registers around the world: A survey.

To provide a description of cerebral palsy (CP) registers globally, identify which aim to report on CP epidemiology, and report similarities and differences across topics of importance for the sustainability and collaboration between registers. Representatives of all known CP registers globally (n = 57) were invited to participate. The online survey included 68 questions across aims, methodologies, output/impact, and stakeholder involvement. Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Forty-five registers participated, including three register networks. Twenty were newly established or under development, including 12 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). An epidemiological aim was reported by 91% of registers. Funding is received by 85% of registers, most often from not-for-profit organizations. CP definitions are comparable across registers. While the minimum data set of a register network is used by most registers, only 25% of identified items are collected by all three register networks. Ninety per cent of registers measure research activities/output, and 64% measure research impact. People with lived experience are involved in 62% of registers. There has been a recent surge in CP registers globally, particularly in LMICs, which will improve understanding of CP epidemiology. Ongoing efforts to address identified methodological differences are essential to validate comparison of results and support register collaboration. Cerebral palsy (CP) registers represent an increasing number of regions, including low- and middle-income, worldwide. Most registers collect the minimum data set of a CP register network. Research activities/output and impact are measured by most registers. The majority of registers involve people with lived experience in operation or research.

The challenges and approaches of measuring research impact and influence on public policy making

PurposeMeasuring research’s policy influence is challenging, given the complexity of the policy process, the gradual nature of policy influence, and the time lag between research investment and impact. This paper assesses measurement approaches and discusses their merits and applications to overcome various hurdles.Design/methodology/approachRelevant articles and studies were selected and analyzed. First, the research-policy interface was revisited to understand their link and how research influences policy making. Second, the most common approaches for measuring policy influence were reviewed based on their features, strengths, and limitations.FindingsThe three approaches reviewed — pyramid, influencing, and results chain — have their respective strengths. Thus, research organizations planning to design a program for monitoring and evaluation (M&amp;E) of policy influence have to adopt the best possible features of each approach and develop a customized method depending on their objectives and overall M&amp;E framework.Originality/valueThis paper fosters a deeper understanding of leveraging the three approaches.

Role of Social Science Research in National Development: A Review of Relevant Literature

There has been increasing pressure on universities to demonstrate the impact of the research they produce. This has involved demonstrating impact through quality measures such as citation counts and journal impact factors. When it comes to the social sciences, the issue of measuring research impact has been regarded as especially challenging, with many analysts claiming that such assessment needs involved both quantitative and qualitative indicators. The research study employed a mixed methodology, drawing on quantitative and qualitative data sources, to investigate whether or not social science research findings had been utilised by policymakers in Zambia, taking the University of Zambia as a case study. Two main research questions were considered in order to structure this inquiry, namely, 1. What is the state of social science research in Zambia? 2. Under what conditions have specific social studies informed policy in Zambia? The study has provided a reflection of the state of social science research in Zambia in terms of the research types that are produced, how the research findings are disseminated, and who the main funders of research were. Additionally, the study also aimed to find out the agendas driving research, whether and how the government utilised social science research findings, the conditions under which social science research had been utilised by policymakers and of course the barriers that hindered research utilisation for social science research in Zambia. Among other things, the study established that some evidence existed that the government utilised some of the research findings from social science research in their policymaking decisions but to a lesser extent than expected. There were barriers to research use by Policy Makers—sustainability of local journals, restrictions in the modes of disseminating research findings, lack of visibility and accessibility of research findings, restrictions in participating in setting of research agendas, as well as lack of mentorship among researchers. Going forward, the research recommends the following: government needs to understand that research is one of the key drivers of development and should funding research; develop national guidelines to provide a framework for equitable participation in research ventures; establish and strengthen linkages between researchers and policymakers; Government should employ technocrats and not political cadres in decision-making positions; and researchers should conduct meaningful research that has policy implications and make deliberate efforts to send policy briefs to policymakers through the ministries and encourage them to use them for the betterment of the country.

Could the Altmetrics Wave Bring a Flood of Confusion for Anatomists?

Altmetrics are non-traditional metrics that can capture downloads, social media shares, and other modern measures of research impact and reach. Despite most of the altmetrics literature focusing on evaluating the relationship between research outputs and academic impact/influence, the perceived and actual value of altmetrics among academicians remains nebulous and inconsistent. This work proposes that ambiguities surrounding the value and use of altmetrics may be explained by a multiplicity of altmetrics definitions communicated by journal publishers. A root cause analysis was initiated to compare altmetrics definitions between anatomy and medical education journal publishers' websites, and to determine the comparability of the measurement and platform sources used for computing altmetrics values. A scoping content analysis of data from across eight publishers' websites revealed wide variability in definitions and heterogeneity among altmetrics measurement sources. The incongruencies among publishers' altmetrics definitions and their value demonstrates that publishers may be one root cause of ambiguity perpetuating confusion around the value and use of altmetrics. This review highlights the need to more deeply explore the root causes of altmetrics ambiguities within academia and makes a compelling argument for establishing a ubiquitous altmetrics definition that is concise, clear, and specific.

Evaluating Research Impact Based on Semantic Scholar Highly Influential Citations, Total Citations, and Altmetric Attention Scores: The Quest for Refined Measures Remains Illusive

Background: The evaluation of scholarly articles’ impact has been heavily based on the citation metrics despite the limitations of this approach. Therefore, the quest for meticulous and refined measures to evaluate publications’ impact is warranted. Semantic Scholar (SS) is an artificial intelligence-based database that allegedly identifies influential citations defined as “Highly Influential Citations” (HICs). Citations are considered highly influential according to SS when the cited publication has a significant impact on the citing publication (i.e., the citer uses or extends the cited work). Altmetrics are measures of online attention to research mined from activity in online tools and environments. Aims: The current study aimed to explore whether SS HICs provide an added value when it comes to measuring research impact compared to total citation counts and Altmetric Attention Score (AAS). Methods: Dimensions was used to generate the dataset for this study, which included COVID-19-related scholarly articles published by researchers affiliated to Jordanian institutions. Altmetric Explorer was selected as an altmetrics harvesting tool, while Semantic Scholar was used to extract details related to HICs. A total of 618 publications comprised the final dataset. Results: Only 4.57% (413/9029) of the total SS citations compiled in this study were classified as SS HICs. Based on SS categories of citations intent, 2626 were background citations (29.08%, providing historical context, justification of importance, and/or additional information related to the cited paper), 358 were result citations (3.97%, that extend on findings from research that was previously conducted), and 263 were method citations (2.91%, that use the previously established procedures or experiments to determine whether the results are consistent with findings in related studies). No correlation was found between HICs and AAS (r = 0.094). Manual inspection of the results revealed substantial contradictions, flaws, and inconsistencies in the SS HICs tool. Conclusions: The use of SS HICs in gauging research impact is significantly limited due to the enigmatic method of its calculation and total dependence on artificial intelligence. Along with the already documented drawbacks of total citation counts and AASs, continuous evaluation of the existing tools and the conception of novel approaches are highly recommended to improve the reliability of publication impact assessment.

Impacto multidimensional da pesquisa: desenvolvimento e teste de um modelo para avaliação

Abstract In recent decades, changes in science have been characterized by internationalization and the quest for impact. This article introduces the impact assessment process of 23 research projects of the Capes prInt Program aimed at internationalizing Brazilian science. This work developed an impact assessment model, applying it experimentally. The development was based on scientific texts on modes of production of scientific knowledge and impact assessment. The assessment revealed that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the projects have advanced in their internationalization goals. As for the impacts, those related to science and education predominated, with a significant number of projects also indicating impacts on public policies and organizational practices. The article adds to understanding modes of knowledge production and research impact measurement. Furthermore, it can be useful to directors of research institutions, research managers, and researchers interested in measuring the research impact on organizations and society.

Methodological foundations of assessing research impact in business and management

Motivation: Assessment of research impact in the business and management field is more difficult than in the case of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines and, therefore, it is justified to improve the approaches, methods and tools used in this field and social sciences in general. Methodological research concerning such assessment is quite a challenge as it is not easy to identify useful assessment methods, indicators and evaluation criteria for carrying out objective processes for conceptualizing and measuring research impact. Creating conditions for obtaining reliable results of research impact assessment is accompanied by the growing interest of scientists and public institutions sponsoring their study.&#x0D; Aim: The article aims to indicate the current main methodological trends in assessing the impact of research in business and management.&#x0D; Results: The paper presents the results of bibliometric research enabling the identification of leading study centers and main methodological solutions, which may be a source of progress in the field of research on systems and methods of research impact assessment in business and management. This is especially important for the scientific community and public sponsors from countries that are currently starting to implement impact assessment systems. It is worth drawing from the experience, good practices and vast resources of knowledge related to evaluation systems and models of knowledge exchange between academia and non-academic stakeholders.

A Non-Iterative Constrained Measure of Research Impact

The number of received citations and more complex bibliographic measures calculated based on them, such as the h-index, remain the most widely used indicators for measuring research impact in an objective and easy-to-compute way. However, using the number of received citations as a research impact measure has its shortcomings, some intrinsic (stemming from the doubt whether a citation is actually a confirmation of the cited paper’s impact), some extrinsic (stemming from the ease of manipulating this measure by deliberately inserting multiple unmerited references). While the first can only be addressed by a careful interpretation of the measure with consideration of its limitations, the latter can be reduced to much extent by replacing simple citation counting with a more sophisticated procedure constraining the impact that a single publication may have on the others. One such solution is ArticleRank, which has, however, several disadvantages limiting its practical use. In this paper, we propose another solution to this problem, the Transitive Research Impact Score (TRIS), which is free of these disadvantages, and validate it on a sample dataset.

Studies on the use of academic social networking sites by academics and researchers: a review

The present review is an endeavour to understand the use of Academic Social Networking (ASN) sites by academics and researchers during the 2001-2020. The literature indicates existence of disciplinary differences in choice of ASN platforms as well as frequency of use of a particular platform by users belonging to a particular discipline. The strong disciplinary influence could be attributed to variations in social and cultural practices of a particular discipline. The review finds professional visibility as one of the outstanding motivating factors for academics and researchers to join ASN sites. Seeking scholarly answer, accruing citations, seeking expert, sharing research literature by availing self-archiving facilities of ASN sites, exploring collaborative research avenues and job seeking are some other important motivators. The review noticed that alternative metrics have become a strong contender for measuring research impact. The review also found age and gender discrimination, snooping, academic cyber bullying, flooding of ASN sites with substandard literature as some concerns which need concerted attention and suggests more research in these fronts and accordingly modification of ASN interfaces to make them more responsive to user’s needs.