title: Bibliometrics: tracking research impact by selecting the appropriate metrics.
abstract: Traditionally, the success of a researcher is assessed by the number of publications he or she publishes in peer-reviewed, indexed, high impact journals. This essential yardstick, often referred to as the impact of a specific researcher, is assessed through the use of various metrics. While researchers may be acquainted with such matrices, many do not know how to use them to enhance their careers. In addition to these metrics, a number of other factors should be taken into consideration to objectively evaluate a scientist's profile as a researcher and academician. Moreover, each metric has its own limitations that need to be considered when selecting an appropriate metric for evaluation. This paper provides a broad overview of the wide array of metrics currently in use in academia and research. Popular metrics are discussed and defined, including traditional metrics and article-level metrics, some of which are applied to researchers for a greater understanding of a particular concept, including varicocele that is the thematic area of this Special Issue of Asian Journal of Andrology. We recommend the combined use of quantitative and qualitative evaluation using judiciously selected metrics for a more objective assessment of scholarly output and research impact.
authors.affiliation: American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Damayanthi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Durairajanayagam
authors.forename: Sindhuja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tatagari
authors.forename: Sandro C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Esteves
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harlev
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Henkel
authors.forename: Shubhadeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roychoudhury
authors.forename: Sheryl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Homa
authors.forename: Nicolás Garrido
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Puchalt
authors.forename: Ranjith
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majzoub
authors.forename: Kim Dao
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Ly
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tvrda
authors.forename: Mourad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Assidi
authors.forename: Kavindra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kesari
authors.forename: Reecha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Saleem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banihani
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abu-Elmagd
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gosalvez
authors.forename: Asher
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bashiri
mesh_terms: D001319:Authorship; D015706:Bibliometrics; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D055811:Journal Impact Factor; D066295:Open Access Publishing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data