Baseball and Science: What Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays Can Teach Us About Measuring Scholarly Impact

Citation-based indicators of scholarly impact are controversial in the sciences. Although they are often used in rankings of institutions, scholarly works, and scholars themselves, they have been criticized for their failure to capture a wider spectrum of “scholarly impact.” Much like the “five tools” that baseball players can use to influence the outcome of a baseball game, there are a lot of different ways that scholars can have an impact with their work. Accordingly, this article discusses multiple dimensions of impact—research (publications and citations), student mentorship, institutional and programmatic development, community engagement, and the discipline at large—where scholars can make a difference in people’s lives. In the end, the broader message is that, while there will inevitably be few players like Roberto Clemente or Willie Mays in the sciences, there are still several important ways that scholars can make an impact.