The Rise of Altmetrics

Abstract

With the world's academic output currently standing at 2.5 million articles per year and doubling every 9 years, sifting the relevant from the irrelevant is vital for researchers, publishers, and funding bodies.Until recently, the influence of a published article would primarily be measured by its citations, a slow process resulting in a long wait before the importance of an article is truly recognized. Views of the article (including PDF and HTML) are another measure of importance, but views can also accumulate slowly. Altmetrics are increasingly recognized tools that aim to measure the real-time reach and influence of an academic article.Altmetric scores quantify the digital attention an article receives in a multitude of online sources. Social media, Wikipedia, public policy documents, blogs, and mainstream news are tracked and screened by the Altmetric database. References to research outputs are traced back to their unique identifier code. The Altmetric algorithm produces a weighted score to reflect the relative reach of each source. For instance, blogs are weighted differently than a mainstream news report. This process allows the attention an individual article receives to be measured from the moment the article is published. Altmetric scores enable potential readers to quickly filter the wealth of scientific literature that is published and to identify articles that are generating interest.

The PM&R Journal Implements a Social Media Strategy to Disseminate Research and Track Alternative Metrics in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

“…This report describes the social media strategy and metrics, including alternative metrics (sometimes referred to as “altmetrics”), for the journal PM&R . In a JAMA viewpoint titled, “The Rise of Altmetrics,” the authors pointed out that the world's academic output is approximately 2.5 million articles per year and doubling every 9 years [5]. Conventional metrics measure an article by its citations—a process that usually takes years to transpire.…”

Highest‐Ranking Articles by Altmetric Attention Scores in Three Rehabilitation Journals

“…The attention score is a weighted automated algorithm used to quantify the attention a particular article has garnered across several online resources. These resources include traditional news outlets, research blogs, reference managers, Wikipedia, public policy documents, datasets, patents, Twitter, Facebook, and more . On April 24, 2018, the first author (W.N.N.)…”

External Tests of Peer Review Validity Via Impact Measures

“…These dynamic metrics capture in real time another sense of impact, "quantifying the interest and debate an article generates, from the moment it is published (Warren et al, 2017)." While critics have mentioned that altmetrics are not yet validated and represent popularity, not necessarily impact, proponents suggest social media discussions represent a new, broader channel of communication that could reach beyond discipline and even increase engagement outside the scientific community (Sugimoto et al, 2017).…”