Library Guides: Scholarly Impact Research Guide: Book Impact

Book and Book Chapter Impact

Impact metrics are traditionally easier to assess for authors, journals, and individual articles in STEM fields. In fields that publish primarily in book chapters or in books, metrics may be harder to determine, and it is advisable to collect a wide range of numbers to better show your impact:

How many Libraries have your book (use Worldcat)
Has it been listed as a Best Seller or Recommended Reading?
Is the book being used as a text book?
Has it been reviewed on Amazon or goodreads or Google books?
Are there translations or other editions of your book?
Have you been invited to hold book signing or other public engagements on your book?
Has it won any awards or prizes?

Finding Book & Book Chapters Impact

WorldCat (FirstSearch) This link opens in a new window
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Search library catalogs from around the world. To assess the scholarly impact of your books, search each title in WorldCat and in each relevant record, check the “Libraries Worldwide” field. It will tell you how many Libraries own that item and also provide the names of the Libraries.

Google Scholar
Search results often include "Cited by ##" links below the citation, which leads you to other articles available to Google's robots. Full text may not be available via Google, but the library probably has it in a subscription database or print copy for you.

Springer This link opens in a new window
All of the Springer ebooks now provide information on the number of Readers, Reviews, and Downloads a specific book has received.

Using Google Scholar

1- Go to Google Scholar and enter the name of the Book, Book Chapter, and Author.

2- Look for the entry labelled [BOOK]

3- Look for "Cited By", below the entry