Thinking beyond publication number

by Fanuel Muindi 

I think today’s young scientists should also be evaluated on mentorship, teaching, science advocacy, and service in the community. I think an impact score that takes these factors into account should also be considered when young scientists are applying for faculty jobs, grants, and when they are being considered for tenure promotions. The fact of the matter is that many young scientists are already doing such activities in the little they have. There needs to be a way to quantify such activities so that young scientists can be awarded for their efforts. I think companies such as Altmetric or ResearchGate are in a position to come up with new metrics that can allow scientists to highlight their activities outside the bench. Overtime, it is possible that this metric can be something that is as talked about as the impact factor in publishing.