Measuring the social impact of funded research over nonfunded: a case study of BRICS

Measuring the social impact of funded research over nonfunded: a case study of BRICS
Authors: Sheikh Shueb, Sumeer Gul, Aabid Hussain Kharadi, Nahida Tun Nisa, Farzana Gulzar
Journal: Performance Measurement and Metrics
Volume & Issue: Volume 25, Issue 1
Published: April 17, 2024

This study investigates the social impact, measured through online attention, of funded versus nonfunded research across BRICS countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Using 1,507,931 publications from the Clarivate Analytics’ InCites database over three years, the study applies Funding Acknowledgement Analysis (FAA) to identify funded works and evaluates their altmetric performance through Altmetric.com. Hotspot keywords were mapped using VOSviewer to determine prevalent themes in research discussions.

The findings show that funded publications receive significantly higher online attention across altmetric sources compared to nonfunded research. Funded research is more widely discussed, tweeted, shared, and cited, indicating a clear altmetric advantage and enhanced social impact. Differences in attention vary by nation and altmetric platform, highlighting the heterogeneous nature of online engagement. The keyword analysis emphasizes the prominence of individual BRICS countries in funded research outputs.

The study demonstrates the value of integrating funding information with altmetric scores to assess the broader social impact of research investments. By linking funding sources to online attention, policymakers and research institutions can develop strategies to maximize the visibility and societal reach of funded projects. This research provides a unique perspective on the role of funding in enhancing the digital and social footprint of scholarly work in the BRICS nations.