Altmetrics

Altmetrics are metrics proposed as a complement to traditional citation counts for evaluating the reach and engagement of scholarly outputs. They aim to capture attention and use of research in venues and formats not covered by conventional citations, including social media, news outlets, policy documents, and online reference managers.

Common indicators include mentions on social platforms (Twitter, Facebook, blogs), saves or readership in reference managers (such as Mendeley), downloads and views, coverage in news media, discussions in online forums, and mentions in policy or patent documents. Because they aggregate signals from diverse sources, altmetrics can provide a broader view of how research is discovered and discussed across different communities and settings.

The term altmetrics was popularized around 2010 to describe these alternative signals, with early tools and aggregators such as Altmetric and Plum Analytics (now part of Clarivate) helping to standardize collection and presentation of data. Researchers and institutions have adopted altmetrics to gauge early impact, monitor dissemination, and reveal engagement beyond academia.

Strengths of altmetrics include faster feedback than traditional citations, coverage of a wider range of activities, and the ability to reflect attention from non-academic audiences. Limitations include field and language biases, varying coverage across platforms, the potential for manipulation, and questions about the meaning and quality of engagement. Correlations with long-term scholarly impact are mixed, and metrics should be interpreted cautiously.

Best practices advocate using altmetrics alongside traditional indicators, normalizing for field and publication year, and ensuring transparency about data sources and methods. Altmetrics are part of the broader movement toward responsible metrics and open science, emphasizing context and qualified interpretation.