Tracking the Impact of Non-Traditional Research Outputs

From datasets and code to podcasts, reports, and performances, not all research outputs take the form of journal articles or books. These are known as Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs)—scholarly or creative works that fall outside conventional academic publishing. While NTROs make up a significant and growing part of research activity, they are often under-recognized in systems that track and assess research impact. In this webinar, participants will explore current best practices for tracking and expressing the impact of NTROs and learn how these practices align with movements, like the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), advocating for more responsible research assessment.

Participants will learn how to:

• Create persistent identifiers (e.g. DOIs) and metadata records for NTROs.
• Incorporate NTROs into existing researcher profile systems (e.g. ORCiD; McMaster Experts).
• Communicate the value of NTROs to responsible research assessment practices.

This session is ideal for researchers, creators, and academic staff working with non-traditional outputs who want to make their work more visible, trackable, and valued.

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This virtual workshop will be recorded and shared on the same page, and discoverable via the Sherman Centre's Online Learning Catalogue.

Facilitator Bio: 

Jack Young (he/him) is McMaster’s Research Impact Librarian, supporting the use of bibliometric data to enhance the reporting and strategic planning practices of the University’s academic departments, institutes, and researchers.