Altmetrics, a type of alternative impact indicator, are real-time research insights that enable scholars to show a more holistic picture of how their work is being found, shared, and referenced online beyond traditional bibliometric citations. This slideshow, co-produced by Scholastica and Altmetric, offers a quick overview of how to start using altmetrics to track the broader impacts of your scholarly works.

1. Getting Started with
Altmetrics: A Researcher’s
Guide
Altmetric Scholastica
@altmetric
www.altmetric.com
@scholasticahq
scholasticahq.com

2. I am here because
I love to give
presentations.
You can find me
at:
@username
For more tips on how you
can start using altmetrics
check out:
The Evolution of Impact
Indicators: From
bibliomentrics to altmetrics
www.scholasticahq.com/altmetrics-the-evolution-of-impact-indicators

3. 1.
What are altmetrics?
Digging into altmetrics data

4. “Altmetrics expand our view of what
impact looks like, but also of what’s
making the impact. This matters
because expressions of scholarship
are becoming more diverse.
altmetrics: a manifesto

5. Almetrics:
Altmetrics capture the online engagement relating to
individual research outputs, enabling users to understand
how scholarship is being found, shared, and discussed.

6. Examples of altmetrics
include:
▷ References to research in news and other
online outlets
▷ Shares of research on social media
▷ Use of research in public policy
▷ Research mentions in post-publication
peer review forums

7. Altmetrics show attention
How research is being found, shared, and
used in and outside of academia

8. Early indicators
Altmetrics show
early signs of
potential research
impacts long before
citations, which can
take months or years
to accrue.
Altmetrics complement traditional
bibliometric citations
Real-time insights
The engagement
captured by
altmetrics is tracked
as it occurs —
authors don’t have to
wait for a score to be
released, like for the
Impact Factor.

9. What altmetrics are not:
Altmetrics are not indicative of research quality. As with
bibliometric indicators, the cause of a lot of attention can
sometimes be linked to article endorsements or
references to errors.

10. 2.
Why should I care?
Who’s talking about your research?

11. Altmetrics show who’s talking
about your research, and what
they’re saying
Be quickly alerted to any misinterpretation or
misuse of your research, and have the opportunity
to respond directly to the source

12. Funding and job applications
Showcasing altmetrics insights alongside citation
counts, face to face interviews, economic measures or
other examples of engagement and broader impacts
can highlight the full picture of your research.
Using altmetrics to take the
next step in your career

13. Build your reputation
See who is talking about your work and what they’re saying -
make sure they’re not misinterpreting or misrepresenting
results. Grow your professional network by engaging with
others discussing work in your field online.

14. Feedback on the results
of your outreach
Altmetrics provide real-time and
immediate feedback on the amount
of attention your work has
received, making it easy to monitor
the effects of any promotional
activity.

15. Uncover new
research and future
collaborators
‘Being able to see who is taking
an active interest in research in
any given field can also be a
useful channel for identifying
potential new collaborators, or
new communities to engage
with.’

16. Make informed publishing
decisions
Identify journals that are effective at making your research
visible and that engage with their audiences. Many publishers
are happy to help amplify your own outreach efforts.

17. 3.
How do I get started?
And what tools should I use?

18. Install the free Altmetric bookmarklet in your browser
to see a summary of the online attention of any article
with a unique identifier.

19. Many publishers embed the Altmetric badge -
sometimes on a ‘metrics’ tab. Click on the badge
to view all of the attention.

20. Dig into the data!
1. Identify who’s
talking about your
work and that of
peers.
2. Think about the
aims of your work:
Who do you want to
see it, what would the
ideal outcome be?
3. Look for ways to
engage
Using social media,
blogs, websites and
much more.

21. Put it into context
Remember altmetrics are more than just numbers! They don’t
tell the whole story. You may need to look further into the data
to understand where and why something is receiving attention.

22. Any questions?
You can find us at:
@altmetric
@scholasticahq