RePEc is all about the free dissemination of economic research, but for many economists it is most known for its rankings. While would really emphasize that the rankings are only a by-product and to some degree a motivator for people and publishers to have their works listed on RePEc, we want to acknowledge that the rankings have become important, as they are use for evaluations in funding agencies and for promotion or tenure. So here are some recommendations on how to optimize rankings, both for authors and institutions.
For authors
- Foremost, make sure your profile is current. Go to RePEc Author Service and log in. Click on research to see whether the system has found any suggestions. Make sure you have all the relevant name variations for you so that it can make the best suggestions. Check also if the system needs some help in attributing some citations.
- A few publishers still do not participate, particularly among book publishers. Encourage yours to index its works in RePEc.
- If you have advised graduate students and they are registered in RePEc, add them to your RePEc Genealogy record. Help your own advisor’s record as well. This is likely the lowest hanging fruit for many economists.
- RePEc sometimes fails to find the bibliography for some articles. If this makes you miss some citations, you can help by uploading those references. The full bibliography is required. The input form is here.
- Working papers get downloaded many more times than journal articles. Thus make sure to have them listed! Your institution can have its WP series indexed following these instructions. If that does not work out, upload them to MPRA. Most publishers allow it, as long as it is not the final version. See details at SHERAP/RoMEO.
- Finally, link to your profile on IDEAS or EconPapers from your webpage.
For institutions
- Foremost, make sure that all members of your institution are registered at the RePEc Author Service. You can look up who is already there by finding your record at EDIRC. Note that if someone is listed with a question mark, it means their email address is not valid, and they will not count towards your score. Please get it corrected (or tell us about the new address or whether this person may have died. It happens).
- If you have a graduate program, you want to have the graduates listed in the RePEc Genealogy. Your EDIRC record also lists who is already linked. There is already a ranking using these records.
- If you have a working paper series or some other serial, make sure it is indexed in RePEc. Instructions.
- Of course, have your members follow the recommendations for authors above.
The RePEc Blog 