Beyond Traditional Metrics: How IT:U and VisConnect Are Rethinking Research Evaluation
At IT:U, research excellence is understood as a multidimensional concept that goes beyond publications to include teaching, collaboration, and societal impact. To support more inclusive and responsible evaluation practices, IT:U partnered with Open Knowledge Maps to co-develop VisConnect—an AI-driven platform that captures a wider range of academic contributions and visually maps research outputs.
What is VisConnect—and why does it matter now?
VisConnect is a new trustworthy AI-powered service by Open Knowledge Maps that enables responsible, evidence-based research assessment. The platform offers rich, visual profiles of researchers by integrating data from trusted sources like ORCID, Crossref, Altmetric, and BASE.
Instead of focusing solely on traditional metrics, VisConnect provides a detailed, multidimensional view—mapping academic outputs thematically and visually. The result: a more nuanced and equitable way to understand research impact across academia, society, and policy.
IT:U’s role in VisConnect’s development
IT:U was closely involved in the co-creation process. The platform was developed with input from IT:U’s research assessment framework, which shaped how teaching, research, and open science are reflected in researcher profiles. Several key features of VisConnect were conceptualized jointly, ensuring alignment with IT:U’s interdisciplinary and mission-driven structure.
Addressing the Limitations of Traditional Metrics
Metrics such as the impact factor or h-index provide a limited view of scholarly influence. These figures typically favor high-volume publication strategies and journal prestige, overlooking collaborative, open, or practice-oriented contributions.
VisConnect addresses these shortcomings by:
- Integrating diverse research outputs into one view
- Supporting transparency through open-source architecture
- Adopting DORA and CoARA principles for responsible research evaluation
How is VisConnect used at IT:U?
VisConnect supports multiple workflows at IT:U by providing a comprehensive, visualization of researcher profiles. It enables holistic decision-making across academic functions, including:
- Finding and supporting talent
- Highlighting contributions beyond publications with visual profiles
- Finding collaboration opportunities
For example, the academic output and experience of a researcher can be represented through thematic clusters of interdisciplinary research and open science output, as well as its teaching and mentorship history—offering a clearer, more holistic perspective. .
What’s next for VisConnect at IT:U?
VisConnect continues to evolve with more types of research output being included in the follow-up project, VisConnect+. As IT:U expands its research networks, tools like VisConnect help with capturing multiple dimensions of research impact and representing them in a clearer, more concise way. This collaboration is led by Stefanie Lindstaedt, Founding President; Christoph Arthofer, Technology Strategist; and Carla Barreiros, Head of Project-Based Learning at IT:U, along with Peter Kraker, Founder and Chairman, and Maxi Schramm, Head of Product at Open Knowledge Maps.