社会科学家关心他们是否会产生社会影响吗？

Do socialscientists careif they makesocietal impact? Authored by:CamilleGamboa,AssociateVicePresidentof CommunicationsRebekahShaw,SeniorMarketResearchAnalystEdmundObeng,ResearchAssociateSage SummaryExecutive In an era where scientific research—especially in social and behavioral science (SBS)—faces growing pressureimpact beyondl academia is more critical than ever. In 2024, Sage surveyed SBS researchers from 96 different countries who largely worked at academicof academic circles. institutional dynamics: 1.While most researchers say societal impact matters to them personally, they're less confident that theirpeers feel the same.2.Researchers care deeply about contributing to scholarly literature but perceive limited enthusiasm fromuniversity leadership.3,Researchers claim career adivancement doesn't matter as much to therm as research impact.4.Researchers perceive that their views on "prestige* metricsreputational indicators driven by peerregard and indicators driven by high citations—differ from those of administrators, creating tensionaround tenure decisions.5.Researchers indicate that rewards for applying research outside of academia are limited.6.Presentations are the most common way of supporting usage of research findings beyond the academicsphere. By sharing these insights, we hope to spark deeper connections between rigorous, high-quality research andlarge. Sage is driven by the belief that SBS can /mprove, and even save, Jives. For more than 60 years, we have worked togrow these sciences—both within ond across disciplinary boundariesond to create resources that will moke an03 puo w.ray Suoj aup Jo /om sry o2 ro a Kuocuo3 uapuadapu) o y afi 2j/qnd pun snduro uo Jodeujevo/ving our unolerstandling of SBS from one that centers on scholorly impact to one thot ena.bles and celebrotesresearch that benefits policy, proctice, and the public. Background What is research impact? Groups involved in developing and disseminating research—scholars, universities, scientific societies,publishers, librarians, communicators, and more—use the term *research impact often, And yet, it is notalways clear that we are always discussing the same concept. Drawing on a number of definitions fromfunders and universities, scholarly communications expert Charlie Rapple wrote in 2023 that the definitionstend to coalesce around demonstrable and beneficial change in behaviors, beliefs, and practices* (2023b)Such a definition can encompass benefits insidle and outside of acadlemic institutions and encompasseconomic, environmental, social, health and well-being, and cultural indicators (Reedl, 2018). while not one(Marar, 2022) is, arguably, a more acturate and inclusive picture of reality.easy indicator, such a “complex, subtle, diffuse and many-layered effect that accumulates through time* Globalperspectivesonresearchimpact Beyond basic definitions, research impact is conceptualized and measured differently across the globe,reflecting dliverse acaclemic cultures, policy environments, and societal priorities. In the United Kingdlom,the Research Excellence Framework (REF) defines impact as *an effect on, change or benefit to the economysociety, culture, public policy or services,’ emphasizing demonstrable benefits beyond academia (UK Researchand Innovation, 2022). In Australia, the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) and Engagement and Impact(El) assessments similarly stress societal relevance, but with a stronger focus on industry collaboration andeconomic outcomes (Australian Research Council, 2025). In the Global South, impact is frequently tied toaxauo jo neoape seoas am pling gede pe uaaoda ano aseo adojaapsensitive metrics that reflect lo cal needs and knowedge systems. Meanwhile, in the Unitedl States, researchirmpact is often framed through individual institutional missions and funding agency priorities, such as theNational Science Foundation's broader impacts criterion, which includes edlucation, diversity, and publicengagement (Else, 2025) reviews and institutional processes tied to hiring or promotion, while countries like the U.K., Australia, andHong Kong conduct nationwide assessments that influence funding allocation. These variations underscorethe need for flexible and inclusive frameworks that can respect regional differences while fostering globaldialogue on the value of research (Springer Nature, 2025). Citation-based metrics The most widely adopted and referenced metrics count and quantify citations of published works in scholarlyonly 12% are evaluated qualitatively (Springer Nature, 2025). For example, the Journal Impact Factor, or JIF,centers on counting scholarly citations in individual journals. While the JIF does not give a full and balancedimpact. that used alone, such metrics oversimplify research quality and overlook diverse outputs like new datasetsreach, and quality of research* (Rapple, 2023a), the misuse, overemphasis, or *fetishizing* of citation count asor societal contributions