Measuring the impact of books and book chapters is not as straightforward as it is for journals.
The following questions adapted from the Bernard Becker Medial Library are a good place to start:
- How many libraries hold the book in their collections? Use WorldCat to find out.
- Is the book noted on any bestseller lists?
- Is the book used as a textbook?
- Are chapters of the book incorporated into course syllabi?
- Are there any book reviews? If so, how many? Where are the book reviews published?
- Are there any discussions about the book in the Amazon Customer Discussion forum?
- Is the book available in an e-reader format as well as print?
- Has the book been mentioned in social media?
- What are the sales figures for the book?
- Has the book been included in bibliographies?
- Has the author been invited to present on the topic related to the book or book chapter?
- Has the author been invited to book signings?
- Are there subsequent editions of the book?
- Are there any translations of the book?
- Has the book been awarded any prizes?
- Has the book been noted by an organization as having made a significant contribution to a field?
Resources that help you answer these questions include:
