Academic/Research Impact
impact (n)
1. the activity of 1 object coming forcibly into contact amongst another
2. the trial or influence of 1 person, thing, or action, on another
Impact (with the mo pregnant :-) is an ofttimes talked virtually desirable thing inwards academic in addition to enquiry world. Impact is peculiarly of import for promoting an associate professor to a total professor status.
Unfortunately at that spot is no well-defined description or an objective means to quantify impact. There are approximated metrics, each amongst important flaws:
OK, plenty of beingness cynical. Of course of didactics these metrics capture a lot of value in addition to approximate touching on inwards most cases. But my signal is, it is slowly to imitation impact-potential. It is slowly to play the game in addition to improve those metrics, without having impact.
I of late performed a serial of twitter polls on this. Here are the results amongst my commentary.
These 2 showed strong preference for novelty over completeness. It is possible to brand a example the other means every bit well. Let's tell the first/simple solution gets stuck 1% of the example in addition to the improved solution covers that. This may brand or pause the practicality of the solution at large scale. Corner cases in addition to surgical operation problems are bargain breakers at large scale.
DARPA has been boasting virtually its funding atomic clocks enquiry every bit a use-inspired basic enquiry project. At the fourth dimension of funding, the applications of precise clocks was unclear, but DARPA funded physicists to travel on it. And 1 time atomic clocks were built, applications started to emerge. Around 2000-2010 DARPA has been mentioning this inwards most of their presentations (I haven't been to DARPA presentations recently). DARPA has been proud of this, in addition to wanted to solicit other travel similar this. These presentations included this diagram in addition to urged for other use-inspired basic research.
as a tool for enabling other work.
The beak (and I guess the volume every bit well) argues that having enquiry objectives does non aid inwards achieving them in addition to tin fifty-fifty endure harmful, because the stepping stones don't resemble the goal objective. So the advice given is: don't invention for impact/objectives, simply create interesting stuff!
That has also been my decision thinking virtually enquiry touching on many years inwards the dorsum of my mind. Instead of trying to chase impact, it is to a greater extent than impactful to create interesting travel that you lot enjoy, in addition to to create what exclusively you lot tin do. I wrote this inwards 2014:
Of course, doing materials that is interesting is a rattling subjective thing. That may endure ok, when choosing what to travel on. But evaluating "interesting/novelty" is likewise subjective. It takes us dorsum inwards total circle inwards admitting at that spot is no well-defined description or an objective means to quantify impact. As I speculate inwards MAD inquiry 3, I believe nosotros deserve amend metrics in addition to to a greater extent than enquiry into touching on metrics.
You tin vote/comment on this past times Wed June 20.
3. In squad sports, nosotros select an mvp every bit the instrumentalist amongst a high profile/visibility, but inwards reality the existent mvp could conduct maintain depression profile inwards terms of scoring in addition to the metrics tracks but even in addition to thus provides to a greater extent than value. When I was a child, assists were non tracked inwards soccer, possibly it was likewise much of a hassle. What virtually a defender that played strategically in addition to blocked attacks earlier they developed? How create nosotros credit that? Moneyball (Michael Lewis) shed about low-cal on this.
Coming dorsum to research/academic impact, don't nosotros need/deserve a amend to a greater extent than informed approach for tracking in addition to identifying impact? Are at that spot severely underrated work/researchers that conduct maintain had huge touching on that went unnoticed?
1. the activity of 1 object coming forcibly into contact amongst another
2. the trial or influence of 1 person, thing, or action, on another
Impact (with the mo pregnant :-) is an ofttimes talked virtually desirable thing inwards academic in addition to enquiry world. Impact is peculiarly of import for promoting an associate professor to a total professor status.
Unfortunately at that spot is no well-defined description or an objective means to quantify impact. There are approximated metrics, each amongst important flaws:
- Citation count is easily quantifiable --Google Scholar shows your citation count in addition to h-index. However, this tin endure tricked. Some journals conduct maintain boosted their touching on factors past times quest accepted articles to cite other articles from the journal. Publishing inwards popular/crowded areas (e.g., wireless networks) tin also boost citation count. It is possible to conduct maintain high citation count amongst lilliputian impact, in addition to lilliputian citation count amongst high impact. As a personal anectode, many of the travel I am most proud of has depression citation count, in addition to I conduct maintain non anticipated how about of my quick "low-hanging-fruit" papers gathered a lot of citations.
- Name recognition/identity is non quantifiable in addition to varies depending on who you lot ask. Also this tin endure tricked past times owning a rattling tiny corner without having much impact.
- Number of PhD students graduated may non conduct maintain a strong correlation amongst impact.
- Best newspaper awards are great, but let's endure cynical here. The awards demonstrate you lot know how to write skillful papers: 1 may fifty-fifty argue, you lot are a crowd-pleaser, you lot are likewise much into group-think/community-consensus. Truly innovative papers neglect to larn best newspaper awards, heck, they larn rejected for many years. They exclusively larn test-of-time in addition to hall-of-fame awards inwards retrospective.
- Grants are nice, but beingness cynical you lot tin argue, what they genuinely mensurate is how skillful you lot are at telling what the reviewers desire to hear.
OK, plenty of beingness cynical. Of course of didactics these metrics capture a lot of value in addition to approximate touching on inwards most cases. But my signal is, it is slowly to imitation impact-potential. It is slowly to play the game in addition to improve those metrics, without having impact.
Recognizing impact
OK, it may endure difficult to genuinely recognize touching on except inwards retrospect. I volition straight off debate that fifty-fifty inwards retroscpect, at that spot is argument inwards recognizing impact. What are the dimensions of impact, which dimensions are to a greater extent than important? There is disagreement fifty-fifty virtually that.I of late performed a serial of twitter polls on this. Here are the results amongst my commentary.
Although bulk votes favored improving a huge fraction of lives inwards tiny amount over improving a tiny fraction of lives inwards huge amount, it is slowly to brand a example for the latter every bit well. In fact, I was thinking that would endure the winning option---I would conduct maintain voted for that. Many spider web services improve huge issue of lives inwards a tiny way, but how much does that matter? How bad would you lot endure off amongst a lilliputian fleck of inconvenience. On the other paw a huge improvement inwards a tiny fraction of people's lives (disabled, poor, sick, etc.) is a large bargain for them. Isn't that to a greater extent than impactful? (I tear upward watching these videos every time. Even the colorblind seeing color the commencement time... It is a large bargain for them.)Which has to a greater extent than academic/research impact?— Murat Demirbas (@muratdemirbas) June 16, 2018
Improving a tiny fraction of lives inwards a huge way, or
improving a huge fraction of lives inwards a tiny way.
This poll returned an fifty-fifty split upward betwixt modest electrical flow improvement over a bigger improvement potential. I would conduct maintain voted for large improvement potential: the ability of transformational is orders of magnitude to a greater extent than than the incremental. However, I don't deny that modest incremental improvements may also cast critical bulk in addition to stepping stones in addition to tin Pb to transformational improvements every bit well.Which has to a greater extent than impact?— Murat Demirbas (@muratdemirbas) June 16, 2018
(Second choice = large "potential" touching on downwards the line)
Which has to a greater extent than impact?— Murat Demirbas (@muratdemirbas) June 16, 2018
Which solution has to a greater extent than impact?— Murat Demirbas (@muratdemirbas) June 16, 2018
These 2 showed strong preference for novelty over completeness. It is possible to brand a example the other means every bit well. Let's tell the first/simple solution gets stuck 1% of the example in addition to the improved solution covers that. This may brand or pause the practicality of the solution at large scale. Corner cases in addition to surgical operation problems are bargain breakers at large scale.
This surprised me inwards a skillful way. There was a smashing appreciation that defining/identifying a occupation is rattling important, in addition to amongst that out of the means the solution becomes possible in addition to ofttimes easy.Which has to a greater extent than impact?— Murat Demirbas (@muratdemirbas) June 16, 2018
This also showed at that spot is skillful appreciation of theory that enables afterward practical applications.Which has to a greater extent than impact?— Murat Demirbas (@muratdemirbas) June 16, 2018
This 1 was a fleck disappointing for me. Atomic clocks enabled GPS, in addition to thus I retrieve it had to a greater extent than touching on than GPS. Atomic clocks is a full general tool in addition to enables other applications applications: long-baseline interferometry inwards radioastronomy, detecting gravity-waves, in addition to fifty-fifty used inwards georeplicated distributed databases.Which has to a greater extent than impact?— Murat Demirbas (@muratdemirbas) June 17, 2018
DARPA has been boasting virtually its funding atomic clocks enquiry every bit a use-inspired basic enquiry project. At the fourth dimension of funding, the applications of precise clocks was unclear, but DARPA funded physicists to travel on it. And 1 time atomic clocks were built, applications started to emerge. Around 2000-2010 DARPA has been mentioning this inwards most of their presentations (I haven't been to DARPA presentations recently). DARPA has been proud of this, in addition to wanted to solicit other travel similar this. These presentations included this diagram in addition to urged for other use-inspired basic research.
as a tool for enabling other work.
Is it possible to optimize/plan for impact?
After my twitter poll frenzy, a friend forwarded me this talk: why greatness cannot endure planned: the myth of the objective. I highly recommend the talk. While I don't handgrip amongst all conclusions there, it has merit, in addition to gets several things right.The beak (and I guess the volume every bit well) argues that having enquiry objectives does non aid inwards achieving them in addition to tin fifty-fifty endure harmful, because the stepping stones don't resemble the goal objective. So the advice given is: don't invention for impact/objectives, simply create interesting stuff!
That has also been my decision thinking virtually enquiry touching on many years inwards the dorsum of my mind. Instead of trying to chase impact, it is to a greater extent than impactful to create interesting travel that you lot enjoy, in addition to to create what exclusively you lot tin do. I wrote this inwards 2014:
So publishing less is bad, in addition to publishing to a greater extent than does non guarantee you lot brand an impact. Then what is a skillful heuristic to adopt to endure useful in addition to to conduct maintain an impact?
I advise that the dominion is to "be daring, original, in addition to bold". We for sure demand to a greater extent than of that inwards the academia. The academia moves to a greater extent than similar a herd, at that spot are flocks hither in addition to at that spot mowing the grass together. And staying amongst the herd is a conservative strategy. That means you lot avoid becoming an outlier, in addition to it is easier to reveal in addition to larn funded because you lot don't demand justify/defend your enquiry direction; it is already accepted every bit a prophylactic enquiry management past times your community. (NSF volition inquire to run into intellectual novelty inwards proposals, but the NSF panel reviewers volition endure unhappy if a proposal is out inwards left plain in addition to is attempting to pause novel ground. They volition discover a means to turn down the proposal unless a panelist champions the proposal in addition to challenges the other reviewers virtually their concocted reasons for rejecting. As a result, it is rare to run into a proposal that suggests genuinely original/interesting ideas in addition to directions.)
To pause novel ground, nosotros demand to a greater extent than mavericks that leave of absence the herd in addition to explore novel territory inwards the jungle. Looking at the most influential names inwards my plain of study, distributed systems, I run into that Lamport, Dijkstra, Lynch, Liskov were all dark sheep.
The interesting thing is, to endure the dark sheep, you lot don't demand to set on an act. If you lot conduct maintain a no bullshit mental attitude virtually enquiry in addition to don't convey stylish enquiry ideas/directions simply past times seem upward value, you lot volition shortly larn out the dark sheep. But, every bit Feynman used to tell "what create you lot tending what other people think?". Ignore everybody, travel on what you lot retrieve is the correct thing.Word of caution!! While beingness dissimilar in addition to beingness dark sheep tin speed upward your means to the top, it industrial plant exclusively after you lot paid the price. It is a rattling steep climb upward there, in addition to you lot demand many grueling years of preparation.
Of course, doing materials that is interesting is a rattling subjective thing. That may endure ok, when choosing what to travel on. But evaluating "interesting/novelty" is likewise subjective. It takes us dorsum inwards total circle inwards admitting at that spot is no well-defined description or an objective means to quantify impact. As I speculate inwards MAD inquiry 3, I believe nosotros deserve amend metrics in addition to to a greater extent than enquiry into touching on metrics.
MAD questions
1. What is the most impactful enquiry you lot know? What are its prominent characteristics? Is it an enabling tool for other work? Is it a unproblematic thought (paradigm shift)? Is it a synthesis of other ideas? Is it a tour-de-force complex technical solution?You tin vote/comment on this past times Wed June 20.
2. What heuristics create you lot employ for increasing touching on inwards your research?What is the most impactful enquiry you lot know? (Add every bit reply.)— Murat Demirbas (@muratdemirbas) June 19, 2018
What are its characteristics?
3. In squad sports, nosotros select an mvp every bit the instrumentalist amongst a high profile/visibility, but inwards reality the existent mvp could conduct maintain depression profile inwards terms of scoring in addition to the metrics tracks but even in addition to thus provides to a greater extent than value. When I was a child, assists were non tracked inwards soccer, possibly it was likewise much of a hassle. What virtually a defender that played strategically in addition to blocked attacks earlier they developed? How create nosotros credit that? Moneyball (Michael Lewis) shed about low-cal on this.
The cardinal premise of Moneyball is that the collective wisdom of baseball game insiders (including players, managers, coaches, scouts, in addition to the front end office) over the past times century is subjective in addition to ofttimes flawed. Statistics such every bit stolen bases, runs batted in, in addition to batting average, typically used to estimate players, are relics of a 19th-century stance of the game in addition to the statistics available at that time. Before sabermetrics was introduced to baseball, teams were dependent on the skills of their scouts to discover in addition to evaluate players. Scouts are those who are experienced inwards the sport, unremarkably having been involved every bit players or coaches. The volume argues that the Oakland A's' front end percentage took wages of to a greater extent than analytical gauges of instrumentalist surgical operation to plain a squad that could amend compete against richer competitors inwards Major League Baseball (MLB).
Coming dorsum to research/academic impact, don't nosotros need/deserve a amend to a greater extent than informed approach for tracking in addition to identifying impact? Are at that spot severely underrated work/researchers that conduct maintain had huge touching on that went unnoticed?
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