Social Scientists: Policy Impact Undervalued by Universities

"Asked whether their institution would promote or give tenure to a scholar for their efforts to apply research outside academia, only 37 percent of 1,805 social scientists surveyed by Sage agreed. Only 28 percent of respondents said their efforts to make a difference outside academia would lead to additional research funding from their institution, while just 35 percent said their university offered awards or prizes to recognize impact. Thirty percent of the survey's respondents, who came from 92 countries, say they receive no recognition at all for this work."

"Instead, the survey by the U.S.-based social sciences publisher suggested institutions tend to value and reward publication in highly cited journals more than academics. Asked whether the ultimate goal of research is to make a positive impact on society, 92 percent agreed this is the case for themselves, but only 68 percent believe it's true for institutions. "I don't care about impacting my colleagues and being cited-I want to impact practice in the field," explained one U.S.-based respondent, who added there is "no good way to know if this happens.""

"All the other metrics (like rejection rates, Google scores) are internal to the discipline and don't really measure anything useful," the researcher continued, according to the Sage report, titled " Do Social Scientists Care If They Make Societal Impact? " and published Tuesday. Similarly, 91 percent of researchers agree the ultimate goal of research is to build on the literature and enable future research, but only 71 percent think the leaders at their institution agree with this."

Only 37 percent of 1,805 social scientists believe their institution would promote or grant tenure for efforts to apply research beyond academia. Only 28 percent expect such efforts to attract additional institutional research funding, and 35 percent report institutional awards for impact; 30 percent report no recognition at all. Ninety-two percent see making a positive societal impact as a personal research goal, yet only 68 percent believe institutions share that goal. Researchers report institutions prioritize publication in highly cited journals and prestige metrics, creating a misalignment between researcher motivations and institutional incentives.

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