Q. What are Altmetrics?

Alternative metrics, also known as Altmetrics are types of metrics used to measure research impact outside traditional scholarly impacts such as citation counts and journal impact. 

Altmetrics measures uses of both traditional scholarly communication as well as non-traditional sources such as datasets, programming codes, poster presentations, software, performances, exhibitions etc. It can include:

• Shares on social media - e.g. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit
• Shares on professional & research networks - e.g. Mendeley, LinkedIn, SSRN
• Article use - e.g. downloads, links, saves, bookmarks, favourites, likes
• Mass media mentions - e.g. news reports, Wikipedia mentions, policy documents
• Reuse - e.g. adaptions, derivatives, forks
• Reviews -  e.g. comments, ratings, recommendations
• Followers - e.g. subscribers, watchers, readers
• Attendance - e.g. door counts, online registrations
• Sales data - e.g. book sales, library holdings

For more information on what they measure, their advantages and disadvantages and sources see our Altmetric Library Guide.