john andrew nyman - LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources ...

J.A. Nyman
Figure 2. The number of times 27 of my
peer-reviewed articles have been cited since
they were published as of April 2011.
One indication of the impact of my research is citation of my research by fellow
researchers. As of August 2011, the Web of Science recognized 27 of my 53 peer-reviewed
publications (some were not recognized because they are book chapters; others because they are
in journals that are too small or regional). The Web of Science recognized 447 citations (402
omitting self-citations) of those 27 publications. Those 27 publications were cited by 349
publications that they recognize (296 omitting self-citations). Data from Web of Science
indicated that my work was cited with increasing frequency (Figure 1) but recent papers had not
yet contributed many citations (Figure 2). The five most cited papers were cited 38 to 55 times.
The average citation was 16.56 per publication. The h-index for these 27 publications was 12,
which means that 12 had been cited at least 12 times. According to the Web of Science, the h-
index is useful because it discounts the disproportionate weight of highly cited papers and the
weight of papers that have not yet been cited. I am unaware of information that can be used to
determine how these statistics compare to those of other faculty.
Another indication of the impact of my research can be found in the requests for
information and advice that I receive from wetland managers and restoration planners. Some of
these efforts are extensive enough that they require contractual agreements with the university,
such as my current assistance with the Louisiana 2012 Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast.
Others require only a presentation, email, or phone call. Until 2010, these requests focused on
sea level rise and restoration in coastal wetlands but since then have been dominated by crude oil
and dispersants. The applied impact of my research also is reflected in the Coastal America
Partnership Award that I received for my work with the Breaux Act Task Force’s Academic
Advisory Group in 2004; in the Team Achievement Award that I received from the US Army
Corps of Engineers and the State of Louisiana for my contribution to the Louisiana Coastal Area,
Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration Study in 2005; in my invitation from the Louisiana Department
of Coastal Protection and Restoration to help them revise the models used to select restoration
plans in 2009; and in my invitation from the Louisiana Department of Coastal Protection and
Restoration to lead a group of fish and wildlife modelers within the effort to update the state’s
2012 master plan for coastal protection and restoration. Recently, I’ve been invited to make
numerous presentations regarding my studies of the way coastal wetlands respond to sea level
rise and to oil spills.
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