Publication and Research Impact

Alternative or Altmetrics as they are often known as,  provide an alternative way to measure the impact of research output beyond traditional citations. These measures capture the attention a resource receives on various online platforms such as blogs, social networks, and reference management systems. Altmetrics can track the number of times an article is bookmarked, blogged, tweeted, shared on social media, or cited in Wikipedia. Some tools like Plum Analytics and Impact Story require a subscription, while others are embedded in databases. Overall, altmetrics offer a more comprehensive view of the influence of research output compared to traditional citations.

• They can accumulate more quickly than traditional metrics such as citations.
• Data is collected from a host of sources helping to provide a more holistic picture of impact than traditional metrics. 
• They attract engagement with research outside the academic world. 

• Heavy emphasis on the presentational layer.
• Accurate interpretation (classification/categorisation) of ever changing metrics across platforms can be difficult.
• Prone to self-citation.
• Altmetrics can be gamed, e.g. likes and mentions can be bought
• Social media metrics in themselves do not tell you anything about the quality of the paper therefore they are best used alongside traditional research metrics. 
• Many papers are not mentioned at all on social media platforms.