How to unlock the hidden power of altmetrics: beyond the numbers
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Altmetrics offer valuable insights beyond numerical scores.
- Researchers can use them to discover suitable platforms to enhance research visibility, promote research sharing, connect with experts, and uncover opportunities for collaboration.
Altmetrics offer an alternative approach to evaluating research impact that extends beyond traditional citation-based metrics, such as journal impact factor and the h-index. A high Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) indicates that research is actively discussed and shared across diverse online platforms, such as news outlets, social media, or in policy documents. However, there is more to altmetrics than assessing impact alone.
In a recent post on the LSE Impact Blog, Andy Tattersall explores 5 ways researchers can leverage altmetrics to gain useful insights into the audiences for their research and find channels to extend the reach of their work.
- Connect with the right audiences: Altmetrics can help identify blogs covering particular research topics to aid in the selection of suitable platforms for guest post contributions.
- Incentive to take action: A low AAS can signal that a research output is receiving little online attention. Authors may use this as motivation to promote their work.
- Encourage open access: Altmetrics provide a compelling reason to share research through open access repositories to increase the likelihood of media coverage and blog discussions.
- Connect with experts: Altmetrics can be used to identify suitable expert speakers for academic events by gauging which potential speakers receive media or blog coverage for their research outputs.
- Create opportunities for collaboration: Altmetric tools like Overton and BMJ Impact Analytics allow users to discover if and how their research is cited in policy documents and clinical guidelines, paving the way for collaborations with entities such as charities or governmental organisations.
Although altmetrics have been around for some time now, Tattersall believes that they may still hold untapped potential. Researchers are encouraged to capitalise on this potential to maximise the impact of their work and uncover new opportunities in today’s dynamic academic landscape.
Although altmetrics have been around for some time now,
Tattersall believes that they may still hold untapped potential.
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