Possible RAE Impact Indicators

In presenting our RAE 2008 case, it is not enough just to say what kind of research we do, we have to focus on the impact of that work, i.e. we have to show that it has made a difference. I intend that our RAE 5(a), or equivalent, will be focussed around indicators of that impact. I will be asking leaders of Informatics research groups to provide examples of the impact of the research of their group. This document gives some exemplars of impact indicators. The impact can be either on the research community or via applications of the research. In some cases there will be overlap with the indicators of personal esteem, which are also part of an RAE submission. Like the esteem indicators, the operative period of the impact indicator should overlap with the RAE census period of 1.1.01-31.10.07.

Here are some exemplar impact indicators. I'd welcome suggestions for others.

• The research has been widely adopted, extended or developed by external research groups. This might be indicated, for instance, by heavy citation of the relevant papers or by widespread use of a tool arising from the research.
• The research work has won an award or prize.
• A difficult open problem has been solved.
• An especially large number of high-quality papers.
• The research has opened up a new field of study that is now commonly included in calls for papers for conferences and journals.
• High impact factor ratings for group member(s) and/or papers (eg CiteSeer, ISI).
• A spin-off or start-up company has been formed to apply the research. Some indication of the success of such a company will add to the case.
• A third party company has applied the research to a practical problem.
• Public interest in your work, eg from media.