For the researcher who is committed to producing impactful research, who has carefully considered all the advice and has worked hard to put the best strategies into practice, there is another piece of the puzzle to be considered. What evidence can we find that all of our hard work has had an effect? Without that evidence, assessing how successful we have been in meeting our personal objectives presents a challenge. Just as importantly, we may struggle to demonstrate the impact of our research to those that fund us, directly or indirectly – our universities, our funding bodies, and our governments.

In this chapter you will:

• Be introduced to the key ‘worlds’ of bibliographic data and the different types of metric used in research assessment
• Contemplate the strengths and limitations of different metrics from the perspective of the individual researcher
• Consider the importance of deploying metrics responsibly
• See how metrics can be used to establish specific and measurable objectives for the impact of your publications
• Be encouraged to continually assess and evolve your publication strategy using the insights metrics can provide