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Find Alternative Metrics (Altmetrics)

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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