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Find Alternative Metrics (Altmetrics)

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What are Alternative Metrics (Altmetrics)?

Alternative Metrics or Altmetrics take into consideration measures of impact other than citations in scholarly journals.

What types of data are included in Altmetrics?

  • Social media mentions
  • Mentions on blogs or news 
  • Views or downloads on citation managers like Mendeley

What are the pros of Altmetrics?

  • Captures impact on the general public as well as the scholarly community
  • Can track impact of less formal forms of scholarship, such as datasets and presentations
  • Provides context for how the work is used
  • Much quicker indication of impact of an article than by only using citations counts, which can take years to accumulate

What are the cons of Altmetrics?

  • Data may be susceptible to manipulation
  • Need an understanding of the source of the data (ex. social media literacy)
  • Reliant on external sources for data 

Find Altmetrics tools

Resources to help with metrics

Link to guide: Research MetricsLink to guide: Measure Author MetricsLink to Guide: Find Alternative Metrics

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