STS Hot Topics Midwinter 2014 altmetrics presentation
1. What the heck are altmetrics?
STS Hot Topics
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Rachel Borchardt
American University
borchard@american.edu
2. But first - what the heck are
research metrics?
Aka bibliometrics, scientometrics,
research impact ..
Generally speaking, a way to measure the
impact/quality/etc. of research
4. Lesser-known traditional metrics
Article-level metrics
◦ Times Cited (compiled from different sources,
most notably Scopus and Google Scholar)
Journal-level metrics
◦ SJR and SNIP
Author-level metrics
◦ i-10 index
◦ H-index variations (mainly compiled using Publish
or Perish software)
5. Bibliometrics vs. altmetrics
What makes altmetrics different?
Altmetrics uses different data points to
create metrics
◦ i.e., NOT citation counts
Altmetrics covers not only journals, but
other forms of output such as:
◦ Presentations
◦ Blogs and podcasts
◦ Data sets
6. Examples of altmetrics
Article altmetrics
◦ Downloads / page views from publisher
Presentation metrics
◦ Views, downloads,
favorites from SlideShare
(more on this later!)
7. Blurred lines
Bibliometrics or altmetrics? It’s not always clear.
Book metrics
◦ Not entirely new, but metrics are still ‘fuzzy’
◦ Citations, reviews, Amazon sales, WorldCat library
holdings, # of books published
Google Scholar citation counts
◦ Includes citations from sources like
Dissertations
White papers
Pre-publications
Online bibliographies
Books and book chapters
8. Why altmetrics?
Creating a ‘spectrum of impact’
Metrics like Impact Factor have received
heavy criticism
Bibliometrics designed for STEM fields
Collecting quantitative measurements for a
fuller picture of scholarly communication
methods
9. Concerns and criticisms
Easier to ‘game’ altmetrics?
◦ Intentional and unintentional
Unfamiliarity with the metrics,
methodology, and/or context for metrics
Skepticism and other negative perceptions
