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Beyond Likes and Shares: How Altmetrics are Reshaping Research Impact

Elliot Brynn in Science & Nature August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover how altmetrics offer a faster, broader view of scholarly influence, complementing traditional citation metrics in today's digital world."

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the way we measure the impact of scholarly work is undergoing a significant transformation. Traditionally, citations have been the gold standard for assessing the influence of research. However, in a world where information spreads at lightning speed through social media, blogs, and online platforms, a more dynamic and immediate measure is needed. This is where altmetrics come into play.

Altmetrics, short for alternative metrics, offer a complementary approach to traditional citation metrics. They capture the broader impact of research by tracking mentions, shares, and discussions across a variety of online sources. This includes social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, news outlets, blogs, policy documents, and online reference managers like Mendeley and CiteULike. By analyzing this data, altmetrics provide a more comprehensive and timely understanding of how research is being received and used in the real world.

The rise of altmetrics reflects the growing importance of online engagement in scholarly communication. Researchers are increasingly using social media and other online tools to share their work, connect with colleagues, and engage with the public. This shift towards open science and online collaboration has created a wealth of data that can be used to measure the impact of research in new and innovative ways. Altmetrics offer a powerful lens for understanding this evolving landscape and for assessing the true influence of scholarly work in the digital age.

Altmetrics vs. Traditional Citation Metrics: A New Perspective

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Traditional citation metrics, such as the Journal Impact Factor, have long been the cornerstone of research evaluation. These metrics primarily focus on the number of citations a publication receives in other scholarly works. While citations remain a valuable indicator of research influence, they often lag behind the actual impact and may not capture the full scope of how research is being used and discussed in society.

Altmetrics offer a more immediate and multifaceted view of research impact. They track a wider range of online activities, providing a more comprehensive picture of how research is being disseminated and engaged with by different audiences. This includes:

Social Media Mentions: Tracking mentions and shares on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
News Coverage: Monitoring mentions in news outlets and media reports.
Blog Posts: Identifying discussions and commentary on research in blogs.
Policy Documents: Tracking citations in policy documents and government reports.

By capturing these diverse forms of engagement, altmetrics provide a more holistic understanding of the impact of research beyond the academic sphere. They reveal how research is being used to inform public discourse, influence policy decisions, and shape public understanding of important issues.

The Future of Research Impact: Embracing Altmetrics

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, altmetrics are poised to play an increasingly important role in research evaluation. By providing a more immediate, comprehensive, and nuanced understanding of research impact, altmetrics can help researchers, institutions, and policymakers make more informed decisions about funding, promotion, and research dissemination. Embracing altmetrics is not about replacing traditional citation metrics but rather about complementing them to gain a more complete picture of the impact of scholarly work in the 21st century.

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This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.7860/jcdr/2017/26153.10078, Alternate LINK

Title: Altmetrics – A Collated Adjunct Beyond Citations For Scholarly Impact: A Systematic Review

Subject: Clinical Biochemistry

Journal: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH

Publisher: JCDR Research and Publications

Authors: Basavaraj Patthi

Published: 2017-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What are altmetrics, and how do they differ from traditional ways of measuring research impact?

Altmetrics are alternative metrics that complement traditional citation metrics by tracking mentions, shares, and discussions of research across online sources, including social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, news outlets, blogs, policy documents, and online reference managers like Mendeley and CiteULike. They provide a more comprehensive and timely understanding of how research is received and used in the real world, capturing the broader impact of scholarly work beyond academia.

How do altmetrics compare to traditional citation metrics like the Journal Impact Factor in assessing the influence of research?

Traditional citation metrics, such as the Journal Impact Factor, primarily focus on the number of citations a publication receives in other scholarly works. While valuable, they often lag behind the actual impact and may not capture the full scope of how research is being used and discussed in society. Altmetrics, on the other hand, offer a more immediate and multifaceted view by tracking a wider range of online activities, including social media mentions, news coverage, blog posts, and citations in policy documents.

In what specific ways do altmetrics provide a more nuanced understanding of research impact compared to traditional citation metrics?

Altmetrics offer a nuanced understanding of research impact by capturing diverse forms of engagement that traditional citation metrics often miss. For instance, altmetrics track social media mentions on platforms like Twitter, providing insights into how research is being shared and discussed among the public. They also monitor news coverage, revealing how research is being disseminated through media outlets, and track mentions in policy documents, showcasing how research is influencing policy decisions. By capturing these various forms of engagement, altmetrics provide a more holistic understanding of the impact of research beyond the academic sphere.

Why is embracing altmetrics important for researchers, institutions, and policymakers in today's digital landscape?

Embracing altmetrics is crucial for making more informed decisions about funding, promotion, and research dissemination. By providing a more immediate, comprehensive, and nuanced understanding of research impact, altmetrics can help researchers identify influential work that may be overlooked by traditional citation metrics. Institutions can use altmetrics to assess the broader impact of their research output, and policymakers can leverage altmetrics to understand how research is informing public discourse and policy decisions. It’s about complementing traditional citation metrics to gain a more complete picture of the impact of scholarly work.

How does the rise of altmetrics reflect the changing landscape of scholarly communication and the growing importance of online engagement?

The rise of altmetrics reflects the growing importance of online engagement and open science in scholarly communication. As researchers increasingly use social media and online platforms to share their work and engage with the public, altmetrics offer a way to measure the impact of this online activity. This shift towards open science and online collaboration creates a wealth of data that can be used to assess the influence of scholarly work in new and innovative ways, providing a more comprehensive understanding of research impact in the digital age. The Journal Impact Factor does not take into account the broader impact.