The point of research is to create knowledge, and then use that knowledge to inform generations of students. It’s not enough to generate instruction that helps the student pass a test. They must internalize the knowledge and understand how to apply it in the real world. Because of this need for the relevant application, the methods of research and the scholars that are turned to as experts must also be on par with the modern world as well.

Research, as it is approached, must be constantly in flux but also consistent. There must be scientific, unbiased methods used to generate the knowledge, yet the knowledge itself will vary based on societal norms of the time, including social interaction and adjusted context. Today’s emerging outlets of information are predominantly formed using new models of digital communication. These outlets are replacing outdated modes as a way to inform scholarly reputation and determine academic impact.

The Transitional Scholar Reputation

Previously, scholarly reputation was built on the scholar’s research. For decades, a scholar’s reputability was only as good as how well their theories were defended in peer-reviewed journals. Even more, the reputation hinged on how those same journals were then used in other publications. 

Recent technology has taken the world into the Digital Age, teeming with the capacity to garner knowledge on a scale never seen before. This advent has transitioned a scholar’s reputation to a new level of scrutiny. With open global digital environments, the traditional method of determining scholarly reputation is becoming obsolete. Immediate access to global information through Web 2.0 technology has turned the trend to data and statistics, and how the research applies to academic impact.

The new world that we live in shows that digital communication and the understanding of technology is necessary. Now, the importance depends on the answer to how scholars are applying this to transdisciplinary research. Where subjects once had defined boundaries separating them, these walls have become fluid. Transdisciplinary research is the most relevant topic, leaving traditional academic data in the past.

Judging the Contemporary Scholarly Relevancy

With this transition comes the need for a new way to determine the quality of the research and the reputation of the scholar. As the principles are evolving, so are the criteria used to determine relevancy. Because it impacts the overall success of each student’s academics, this is not a field to tread lightly with. However, it’s also unraveling in new and unpredicted ways as unparalleled technology appears. Researchers must, therefore, have a set of unyielding variables to turn to as they continue to analyze transdisciplinary information as it emerges from digital communication.

There is no set prototype in universal play to determine scholarly reputation and the academic impact of a source yet, as there once was. Some old school analysts still use the journal and citation methods, while others are creating assessment frameworks and evaluation rubrics and adjusting them as emerging outlets appear.

Consistently, there are four main factors that are found regardless of the method of analysis used. When all four of these principles are found in a text or research, the source is determined to be valid, the scholar is reputable, and the academic impact is expected to be positive: 

●      The research is socially significant, relevant, and applicable to the real world at the time of publication; 

●      The research is credible, easily integrated into the classroom, and meets the standard of rigor for the content;

●      The research itself is legitimate in that the stakeholder backing the scholar was unbiased and the criteria involved was fairly represented on all sides;

●      The results of the data would be effective and able to be used for problem-solving and critical thinking that could be used in the real world to apply to social reform or make a societal contribution. 

These principles define scholarly reputation today more than ever in history. Prior societal norms included actively not seeking changes. Now, change is necessary to combat the global issues that are still unresolved. The problem of inequality in academic learning is only the tip of the iceberg, but it’s a big tip. Addressing this concern by using relevant information in the classroom will have a trickle-down effect for generations.

Using Impactio for Quantitative and Qualitative Measures of Relevancy

The definition of a scholar’s reputation is inadequate on its own. Digital communication is essential today, and that means your research and results have to be made available on Web 2.0 technology. 

When you’re a busy scholar, putting your information together in a format that can be used by others is a necessary but time-consuming problem. With Impactio, the pre-made templates and drag and drop features solve the issue for you.  

You can have professional quality PDFs and internet documentation quickly, letting you move on to your more important work. Get your results out to the world, increase your scholarly reputation through digital publication, and get back to making an academic impact fast when you choose Impactio to present your research.