Altmetrics, a type of alternative impact indicator, have arisen as a way to show broader impacts of research online. Journals can employ altmetrics to see how their research is being used both in and outside of academia, as well as assess the performance of their promotional efforts. This slideshow, co-produced by Scholastica and Altmetric, breaks down the benefits of altmetrics for journals, common misconceptions about them, and ways to start tracking altmetrics impact at your publication.

1. Getting Started with
Altmetrics at Your Journal:
An Editor’s Guide
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For more tips on how you
can start using altmetrics
at your journal 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 indicator
Altmetrics show
early signs of
potential research
impacts long before
citations, which can
take months or years
to accrue.
Altmetrics complement
bibliometric citations
Real-time insights
Attention is tracked
as it occurs —
journals 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 attention can
sometimes be linked to article endorsements or
references to errors.

10. 2.
Why should I be tracking
altmetrics at my journal?
Benefits of altmetrics data

11. With altmetrics you can...
Track and
plan journal
promotion
Provide
additional
value to
authors
Show the
broader
impacts of
your journal

12. Provide additional
value to authors
Altmetrics help authors
track the reach and
influence of their work in
and outside of academia
for tenure and grant
applications.

13. Track and plan journal
promotion
1. See which articles
attract the most
attention online
Articles with high
altmetrics impact may
be good candidates to
promote your journal
and show that you
publish noteworthy
research.
2. Find ways to
resurface articles
Options include:
▷ Make online
collections of
related top articles
▷ Showcase top
articles on your
website
▷ Share popular
articles on social
media
3. Track the
progress of your
promotional
activities
Track whether your
promotional efforts
are leading to more
articles being found
and shared online.

14. Demonstrate the value of your journal
to submitting authors and readers
Unlike citation-based
bibliometrics altmetrics
track:
● How research is being used in
and beyond academia
● Where research is being found
and shared around the world
● The broader impacts of both
traditional and nontraditional
scholarly outputs

15. 3.
How can I start tracking
altmetrics at my journal?
Tips for getting started

16. Install the free Altmetric bookmarklet in your browser to see a
summary of the online attention of any article with a unique
identifier.
If you’re unable to find your journal, email support@altmetric.com
to check if it’s being tracked by Altmetric.
Here’s an example DOI to try searching: 10.1038/482027a

17. Use the Altmetric Explorer to see all activity your
journal is generating and compare it to competitor
titles.

18. Find out more about the
full range of metrics
available to you
▷ Altmetric
▷ Google Scholar metrics
▷ Scopus article metrics

19. Set up a free Google Analytics account
for your journal website to track...
Number of article
webpage and PDF
views
Number of unique
and returning
visits to your
website
Time visitors
spend on your
website and
article pages
Traffic channels
visitors are taking
to get to your
website
Where you
visitors are
coming from

20. Questions?
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