What are Altmetrics?
Altmetrics or Alternative metrics, are metrics or qualitative data that are complementary to traditional, citation-based metrics. They track the attention of research outputs across peer reviews, news, Wikipedia citations, policy documents, research blogs, bookmarks on reference managers like Mendeley, and mentions on Twitter.
Used in addition with other metrics, Altmetrics can help provide further evidence of engagement and 'societal impact'. They are not intended as an indicator of quality.
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Preparation tips for gathering metrics include:
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Approaching the task systematically, one publication title and one databases/platform at a time.
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Developing meaningful folders for data management
Terms and Definitions
| Term | Where to use it |
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Altmetric attention score ( typically presented as a colourful wheel with a number in the middle) |
Use this score to provide complementary metrics around mentions of your work online, including social media and website analytics, media mentions or reviews, downloads or view counts. |
| Mainstream media attention | Showing that your research has been referenced across news outlets can indicate that your research is part of public discussion. |
| PlumAnalytics (embedded in Scopus, Scival, Science Direct databases and Mendeley) | Use these analytics to provide complementary metrics around usage, captures and mentions across Social Media platforms as well as traditional citation count metrics. |
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Publons metrics quantify the amount of peer review and editorial work you are involved in. |
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| Social media mentions | The personal metrics from Facebook, Twitter etc.you generate about your research can quantify the public discussion around your work. |
| Twitter mentions include posts and retweets that reference a trackable scholarly product. | |
| Wikipedia mentions | Use Wikipedia mentions to show how many times your publication has appeared in the reference lists of wikipedia pages. |
Example statement for promotion and funding applications
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"This Policy Paper on Mental Health, attracted substantial media interest, e.g. by SBS Radio and the ABC Radio "All in the Mind" report. It has been re-tweeted 105 times." |
Note: Refer to scheme-specific rules to determine what information should be included in your grant or promotion application. Funding rules change from year to year.