Book metrics

Books and book chapter metrics, like article metrics, can be used to provide evidence of your impact on the research community and in the wider landscape. 

Indicators of the impact of books can include: 

  • Library holdings 

  • Alternative metrics 

  • Citation counts 

  • Downloads 

  • Book reviews 

For further support, please contact your Liaison Librarian. 

  • Library holdings (Trove, WorldCat)

    You can use the number of libraries that have a copy of your book to demonstrate how much interest is in your book. 

    • Trove: provides information about holdings in Australian librarians. 

    • WorldCat: find how many copies of your books are held in libraries around the world. 

    Refer to the Example Statement below to get an idea of how to use library holdings in a statement.

  • Alternative metrics

    Alternative metrics are a source of qualitative data that supplement citation-based metrics. You can track social media, news, government and policy mentions of your book and book chapters through Altmetric Explorer. You can use these metrics to make a case for the wider impact of your research external to academia. 

    The alternative metrics page provides further information.

  • Other metrics

    You can use other metrics to demonstrate the research impact of your book’s influence. These metrics include: 

    • Traditional citations 

    • Total downloads 

    • Sale figures 

    • Book reviews 

    • Number of editions 

     

  • Example Statement

    • The book "X" which you have contributed a chapter to, has 4 editions which are held in 682 libraries worldwide (WorldCat). 

    • Your book "X" is held in 10 Australian libraries and there are 13 editions which are held in 373 libraries worldwide, demonstrating international interest in your publication. (Trove and WorldCat).