The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) has long dominated research evaluation, shaping funding decisions, institutional rankings, and academic career advancement. However, as the scholarly publishing community pushes for more holistic and responsible research assessment, alternative metrics and incentive structures are gaining traction (e.g., Citescore, Altmetric, DORA initiatives, etc.) This session will explore the current state of models for evaluating research impact, including open science practices, real-world applications, community engagement, and qualitative measures, while addressing the challenges of cultural change in academia and publishing. Panelists from across the scholarly ecosystem will share insights on how publishers, funders, researchers, and institutions can work toward policies that reward diverse contributions to knowledge. The discussion will also highlight case studies of successful transitions toward broader evaluation frameworks.

An international panel will discuss three ethical challenges in scholarly publishing today: citation leakage, text recycling, and ethical issues around data publishing. Speakers will present examples of how organizations are working to address these challenges from within the industry.

2020 was a pivotal year for impact and metrics. In this panel, we will explore the update to the JIF calculation, discussing the whys and nuances of citational practices as well as the value of understanding disciplinary differences and what impact means when citational practices differ.