Altmetrics, or "alternative metrics," are new measures to evaluate a work’s scholarly impact beyond traditional citation-based metrics. They track engagement across various digital platforms, including social media, blogs, and online discussions as well as capture interactions such as shares, mentions, downloads, and commentary (Erdt 2016).
Altmetrics data sources include, among others (Priem 2012):
Altmetrics serve as a valuable complement to traditional bibliometrics, such as the Journal Impact Factor and h-index. By aggregating data on a daily or weekly basis, they offer a more timely and holistic perspective on research impact. (Brigham 2014) For formal research evaluations, the early evidence provided by altmetrics can help shorten the delay gap between between conducting research and being able to evaluate it (Thelwall 2020).
Altmetrics provide valuable insights into the broader impact of scholarly work, extending beyond academia to practitioners, clinicians, educators, and the general public. They offer a more in-depth understanding of which research outputs are being read, discussed, saved, recommended, and cited across diverse audiences (Brigham 2014).
However, like traditional metrics, altmetrics face several challenges, including (Erdt 2016, Thelwall 2020):
Despite these challenges, many publishers have incorporated altmetrics badges – such as the Altmetric Donut – into journal articles and book pages. These visual indicators provide authors, editors, and readers with real-time insights into the level of interest and engagement surrounding recently published research (Thelwall 2020).
An altmetrics data aggregator is a tool or platform that collects, processes, and reports alternative metrics (altmetrics) to measure the impact and attention of scholarly work on social media and other online platforms. These aggregators track mentions and interactions with research outputs across various digital channels, including social media platforms (e.g. Twitter, Facebook), blogs, news outlets, and academic social networks (e.g. Mendeley, ResearchGate) (Erdt 2016).
Brigham, T. J. (2014). An introduction to altmetrics. Med Ref Serv Q, 33(4), 438-447. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.957093
Erdt, M., Nagarajan, A., Sin, S. C. J., & Theng, Y. L. (2016). Altmetrics: An analysis of the state-of-the-art in measuring research impact on social media. Scientometrics, 109(2), 1117-1166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-2077-0
Patthi, B., Prasad, M., Gupta, R., Singla, A., Kumar, J. K., Dhama, K., Ali, I., & Niraj, L. K. (2017). Altmetrics – A collated adjunct beyond citations for scholarly impact: A systematic review. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research, 11(6), ZE16-ZE20. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2017/26153.10078
Priem, J., Groth, P., & Taraborelli, D. (2012). The altmetrics collection. PLoS One, 7(11), e48753. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048753
Roemer, R. C., & Borchardt, R. (2015). Meaningful metrics: A 21st century librarian’s guide to bibliometrics, altmetrics, and research impact. Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.
Available as an Open Access Publication from ACRL
Thelwall, M. (2020). The pros and cons of the use of altmetrics in research assessment. Scholarly Assessment Reports, 2(1), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.29024/sar.10