Metrics are the key to understanding how something is performing. In academia, metrics provide information about engagement and impact, highlighting how the world of research is responding in real-time to a published text. But what are altmetrics?
In academic publishing, there are two kinds of metrics: traditional citation metrics and altmetrics. Traditional citation metrics include h-index and journal impact factors. Altmetrics, on the other hand, provide a broader picture of the attention and engagement research is receiving across diverse channels such as social media, blogs, news outlets, etc.
Here, we’ll provide an overview of both kinds of metrics and explain why altmetrics are useful within academia.
Traditional citation metrics
Before delving into what altmetrics are, let’s first look at traditional citation metrics.
Traditional citation metrics are academic-focused, highlighting the impact and research output of articles and their authors. In general, there are two key traditional citation metrics to be aware of: h-index and journal impact factors.
H-index
An author’s h-index represents the productivity and citation impact of their published work. This single number balances the number of papers a researcher has published with the number of citations they have received. For example, if a researcher has an h-index of 5, this means that they have 5 published papers that have received at least 5 or more citations. These numbers can help certain authors stand out amongst others and thus become better placed for funding opportunities.
Journal impact factor
Journal impact factor is a metric that ranks academic journals. The ranking is based on the average number of times eligible articles published in a given academic journal were cited elsewhere, with the number calculated for the previous two-year period. Importantly, a journal’s impact factor can suggest which journals are more active or prestigious within the academic community.
Limitations of traditional citation metrics
While giving extensive details of the reach and impact of articles and journals in academic circles, these metrics often take years to accumulate. Additionally, there are criticisms of traditional citation metrics. For example, no direct correlation exists between the quality of a research paper and the number of citations it receives.
Therefore, other measurements of success have become increasingly popular with authors to determine research impact.
What are altmetrics?
As suggested by their name, altmetrics are a useful alternative to traditional citation metrics. But what are they, and why are they useful?
In contrast to traditional citation metrics, altmetrics provide a more comprehensive and immediate overview of the attention and engagement a publication is receiving.
Altmetrics cover a wide range of possible metrics for a research publication. These include online mentions on various social media channels, coverage in news media, blog discussions, etc. These metrics provide real-time insights into how your academic work is resonating with a broader audience, including policymakers and the general public.
These alternative metrics are useful because they are dynamic. Traditional citation metrics offer a static snapshot of academic impact over a given period and are often represented by an average number. Altmetrics, however, provide measures of success that are always being updated by a plethora of online interactions. They aren’t limited to academic impact alone, which is already dependent on smaller subsets of niche audiences.
In essence, altmetrics capture the visibility and impact of your research in lots of diverse contexts around the world.
Now that we know what altmetrics are and why they are useful, let’s look at how to use altmetrics.
How to use altmetrics
Altmetrics provide a wealth of research information. For this reason, they are extremely beneficial to those within both academia and publishing. So, how can those working in these areas benefit from knowing how to use altmetrics?
Researchers
Researchers can utilize altmetrics to share evidence of their community outreach. This is how their research – whether in the form of articles, books, or data analysis – is being used and discussed online across a variety of channels.
This information can be utilized by a researcher, who is then able to locate meaningful examples of someone engaging with their work. For example, a popular news site may have used evidence or data from a researcher’s article in their story. Information about this mention can be located using the Altmetrics site. The researcher can then assess the cultural impact of the
mention and share the news story and their accompanying research on any of their academic profiles or websites.
This kind of positive exposure brings greater visibility to research. And this visibility can translate into real-world impact, with publicized research having more potential to influence educational sectors and public policy.
Institutions
Institutions can use altmetrics to follow the online attention authors in their faculties are receiving across news outlets, websites, blogs, social media, etc.
By assessing this data and impact, institutions are able to report on the influence their published research has had on the world. Importantly, they can then leverage this data to identify research strengths and guide public engagement.
Additionally, altmetrics can highlight gaps in research output or serve as evidence to support improved funding applications.
Publishers
In a similar way to institutions, publishers can also use altmetrics to track and report on the engagement their authors are receiving online.
Altmetrics data provide publishers with invaluable editorial perspectives, marketing inspiration, and demographical insights. Publishers can identify how research outputs are being discussed and shared, and attention-worthy research can be further identified and amplified using altmetrics. Not only that, but publishers can compare the impact of their publications across a competitive landscape.
Finally, altmetrics reveal the real-world impact that research publications have. Publishers can see the influence certain publications have had on policy in the public sphere.
Preprints and altmetrics
Preprints and altmetrics benefit each other. At Preprints.org, we empower researchers to freely and instantly share their work with a global audience, helping you gain early feedback, boost visibility, and accelerate discovery. Use altmetrics as a complement to track all this increased engagement with your research.
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