Abstract
Fifteen bibliometric research studies were published between 1979—2019 on articles published in journals focusing on higher education and student affairs. This study used the data science tool Altmetric Explorer for Institutions to answer research questions and complete article-level analyses on research impacts, subject area patterns of research topics, and sources and predictors of online attention. The data source was articles published in the Journal of College Student Development (JCSD) between 2007–2022 (N = 451) and six articles represented 67.7% of the research impact of all 451 articles. Multiple regression analyses investigated relationships between 17 online sources and attention scores for individual research articles. Seven predictors accounted for 99% of the variance in online sources and attention scores for JCSD articles. The results demonstrated the types of insights into research utilization that are possible using altmetrics; a deeper understanding of the audiences for research, dynamic developments of this attention, and new knowledge about the wide array of additional forms of research impact that are occurring beyond the limited scope of subsequent journal article citation counts.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
References
Altmetric (2021). How is the Altmetric Attention Score calculated? https://www.altmetric.com/about-our-data/our-sources/
Altmetric Explorer for Institutions (n.d.). Altmetric Explorer for Institutions. https://www.altmetric.com/products/explorer-for-institutions/
Altmetric for Researchers (n.d). Altmetric for Researchers. https://www.altmetric.com/audience/researchers/
Alla, K., Hall, W. D., Whiteford, H. A., Head, B. W., & Meurk, C. S. (2017). How do we define the policy impact of public health research? A systematic review. Health Research Policy and Systems, 15(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-017-0247-z
Australian Research Council. (n.d.). The Definition of Research Impact. Retrieved from https://www.arc.gov.au/policies-strategies/strategy/research-impact-principles-framework
Banning, J., Ahuna, L., & Hughes, B. (2000). A study of the NASPA Journal (1967–1996): A 30-year reflection of scholarship in student affairs focusing on race and ethnicity. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 38(1), 58–69. https://doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.1121
Barr, R., & Tagg, J. (1995). From teaching to learning: A new paradigm for undergraduate education. Change, 27(6), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.1995.10544672
Bowman, N., Brandenberger, J., Hill, P., & Lapsley, D. (2011). The long-term effects of college diversity experiences: Well-being and social concerns 13 years after graduation. Journal of College Student Development, 52(6), 729–739. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2011.0075
Braun, T., Glänzel, W., & Schubert, A. (2005). A Hirsch-type index for journals. The Scientist, 19(22), 8.
Bray, N., & Major, C. H. (2011). Status of journals in the field of higher education. The Journal of Higher Education, 82, 479–503. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2011.0020
Burnett, C. (1973). Higher education as a specialized field of study. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 6, 4–15.
Creamer, E. (1994). Gender and publications in core higher education journals. Journal of College Student Development, 35(1), 35–39.
Crosby, T. (2017). PlumX is more than just Altmetrics–Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries. Plum Analytics. https://plumanalytics.com/plumx-is-more-than-just-altmetrics/
Davis, T. L., & Liddell, D. L. (1997). Publication trends in the Journal of College Student Development: 1987–1995. Journal of College Student Development, 38, 325–331.
Day, L. (2022). 200 million mentions: Altmetric has now officially tracked over 200 million mentions of nearly 20 million research outputs. Altmetric Blog. https://www.altmetric.com/blog/200-million-mentions-altmetric-has-now-officially-tracked-over-200-million-mentions-of-nearly-20-million-research-outputs/
Francis, J., & Hobbs, W. (1974). The isolation of higher educationists as scholars. In J. Miller (Ed.), Scholarship and teaching in the field of higher education (pp. 1–6). (ED088301). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED088301.pdf
Goldberg, A. E., Kuvalanka, K. A., & Black, K. (2019). Trans students who leave college: An exploratory study of their experiences of gender minority stress. Journal of College Student Development, 60(4), 381–400. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2019.0036
Gordon, V. & Grites, T. (1998). The NACADA Journal 1981–1997: Fulfilling its purpose? NACADA Journal, 18(1), 6–14. https://doi.org/10.12930/0271-9517-18.1.6
Green, T. (2019). Publication is not enough, to generate impact you need to campaign. LSE Blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2019/09/27/publication-is-not-enough-to-generate-impact-you-need-to-campaign/
Gumport, P. J. (2002). Universities and knowledge: Restructuring the city of intellect. In S. Brint (Ed.), The future of the city of intellect: The changing American university (pp. 47–81). Stanford University Press.
Harper, S. (2012). Race without racism: How higher education researchers minimize racist institutional norms. The Review of Higher Education, 36(1), 9–29. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2012.0047
Haustein, S. (2016). Grand challenges in altmetrics: Heterogeneity, data quality and dependencies. Scientometrics, 108(1), 413–423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-1910-9)
Heckman, D., & Martin, W. (1968). Inventory of current research on higher education 1968. Carnegie Commission on the Future of Higher Education.
Hefferlin, J., Bloom, M., Gaff, J., & Longacre, B. (1972). Inventory of current research on postsecondary education 1972. A guide to recent and ongoing projects in the United States and Canada (ED069265). Berkeley: Center for Research and Development in Higher Education. ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED107197.pdf
Hobbs, W., & Francis, J. (1973). On the scholarly activity of higher educationists. The Journal of Higher Education, 44(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1973.11776843
Hood, A., Hull, B., & Mines, R. (1979). The role of the Journal of College Student Personnel in the literature of various student services. Journal of College Student Personnel, 469–475. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2150-1092.1975.tb00157.x
Hunt, P. F., Boyd, V. S., Gast, L. K., Mitchell, A., & Wilson, W. (2012). Why some students leave college during their senior year. Journal of College Student Development, 53(5), 737–742. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2012.0068
Kellams, S. (1975). Research studies on higher education: A content analysis. Research in Higher Education, 3(2), 139–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991804
Kezar, A. (2010). Faculty and staff partnering with student activists: Unexplored terrains of interaction and development. Journal of College Student Development, 51(5), 451–480. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2010.0001
Kuh, G. D., Bean, J. P., Bradley, R. K., Coomes, M. D., & Hunter, D. E. (1986). Changes in research on college students published in selected journals between 1969 and 1983. The Review of Higher Education, 9(2), 177–192. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1986.0030
Kuh, G., & Bursky, M. (1980). Knowledge dissemination by publication in student affairs: Who publishes what where? Journal of College Student Personnel, 21(5), 387–393.
Lemke, S., Peters, I., & Mazarakis, A. (2019). “If you use social media then you are not working” – How do social scientists perceive altmetrics and online forms of scholarly communication? LSE Blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2019/03/20/if-you-use-social-media-then-you-are-not-working-how-do-social-scientists-perceive-altmetrics-and-online-forms-of-scholarly-communication/
Lindsay, J. M. (2016). PlumX from plum analytics: Not just altmetrics. Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries, 13(1), 8–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15424065.2016.1142836
Macfarlane, B., & Grant, B. (2012). The growth of higher education studies: From forerunners to pathtakers. Higher Education Research & Development, 31(5), 621–624. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2012.719283
Metrics Toolkit. (2020a). Citations, articles. https://www.metrics-toolkit.org/metrics/citations_articles/
Metrics Toolkit. (2020b). Field weighted citation impact. https://www.metrics-toolkit.org/metrics/field_weighted_citation_impact/
Mines, R., Hood, A., & Hull, B. (1978). The “coming of age” of the Journal of Student Financial Aid. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 8(3), 30–34.
Molasso, W. R. (2005). A content analysis of a decade of fraternity/sorority scholarship in student affairs research journals. Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, 1(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/say.30473
Montgomery, L., & Neylon, C. (2019). The value of a journal is the community it creates, not the papers it publishes. LSE Impact Blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2019/03/29/the-value-of-a-journal-is-the-community-it-creates-not-the-papers-it-publishes/
Onodera, N. (2016). Properties of an index of citation durability of an article. Journal of Informetrics, 10(4), 981–1004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2016.07.001
Open Syllabus Project database (n.d.). opensyllabusproject.org
PLoS Medicine Editors. (2006). The impact factor game: It is time to find a better way to assess the scientific literature. PLoS Medicine, 3(6), e291. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030291
Pope, R., Mueller, J., & Reynolds, A. (2009). Looking back and moving forward: Future directions for diversity research in student affairs. Journal of College Student Development, 50(6), 640–658. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0097
Rau, H., Goggins, G., & Fahy, F. (2018, February 19). From invisibility to impact: Radically different measures are needed to capture the true impact of research. Impact of Social Sciences. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2018/02/19/from-invisibility-to-impact-radically-different-measures-are-needed-to-capture-the-true-impact-of-research/
Reed, M. (2017). What types of impact are there? Fast Track Impact. https://www.fasttrackimpact.com/what-types-of-impact-are-there-subp
Renn, K., Brazelton, G., & Holmes, J. (2014). At the margins of internationalization: An analysis of journal articles on college student development, learning, and experiences, 1998–2011. Journal of College Student Development, 55(3), 278–294. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2014.0029
Rentz, A. (1986). Professional literature: Analysis of authorship. Journal of College Student Personnel, 27(5), 438–441.
Rousseau, R., Egghe, L., & Guns, R. (2018). Becoming metric-wise: A bibliometric guide for researchers. Chandos.
Ruiz-Castillo, J., & Waltman, L. (2015). Field-normalized citation impact indicators using algorithmically constructed classification systems of science. Journal of Informetrics, 9(1), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2014.11.010
Saunders, S., Register, M., Cooper, D., Bates, J., & Daddona, M. (2000). Who is writing research articles in student affairs journals? Practitioner involvement and collaboration. Journal of College Student Development, 41(6), 609–615.
Silverman, R. J. (1988). Author-field interaction following publication in “higher education” journals. Higher Education, 17(4), 361–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00139533
Smith, R. (2019). Structuring the conversations: Using co-citation networks to trace 60 years of The Journal of College Student Development. Journal of College Student Development, 60, 695–717. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2019.0063
Sriram, R., Weintraub, S. D., Cheatle, J., Haynes, C., Murray, J. L., & Marquart, C. P. (2020). The influence of academic, social, and deeper life interactions on students’ psychological sense of community. Journal of College Student Development, 61(5), 593–608. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2020.0057
Tight, M. (2012a). Levels of analysis in higher education research. Tertiary Education and Management, 18(3), 271–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/13583883.2012.700461
Tight, M. (2012b). Higher education research 2000–2010: Changing journal publication patterns. Higher Education Research and Development, 31(5), 723–740. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2012.692361
Tight, M. (2017). Higher education journals: Their characteristics and contribution. Higher Education Research & Development, 37(3), 607–619. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1389858
Townsend, B. K. (1993). Feminist scholarship in core higher education journals. Review of Higher Education, 17, 21–42. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1993.0001
Tryon, G. S. (1981). Changes in the subject areas addressed by the Journal of College Student Personnel over a 5-year period. Journal of College Student Personnel, 22, 440–442.
Volkwein, J., Carbone, D., & Volkwein, E. (1988). Research in Higher Education: Fifteen years of scholarship. Research in Higher Education, 28(3), 271–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992235
Williams, S. (2014). Are 90% of academic papers really never cited? Reviewing the literature on academic citations. LSE Blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2014/04/23/academic-papers-citation-rates-remler/
Williams, C., & Padula, D. (2015). The evolution of impact indicators: From bibliometrics to altmetrics. Chicago: Scholastica. Available online: https://scholasticahq.com/altmetrics-the-evolution-of-impact-indicators
Zilvinskis, J., Gillis, J., & Smith, K. K. (2020). Unpaid versus paid internships: Group membership makes the difference. Journal of College Student Development, 61(4), 510–516. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2020.0042
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. I would like to thank Dr. Amanda L. Nolen for her suggestions on a previous version of this study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Vander Putten, J. The Research Impact of Articles Published in the Journal of College Student Development Viewed Using Altmetrics. Innov High Educ 47, 927–945 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-022-09637-2
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-022-09637-2
Keywords
- Research Impact
- Altmetrics
- Faculty
- Research
- Student Affairs