altmetrics
nounPronunciation: /ˈæltmɛtrɪks/
Alternative metrics that measure the online attention and engagement academic publications receive across social media, news outlets, and other digital platforms.
Full Definition
A comprehensive system for tracking and analyzing the digital impact of scholarly works beyond traditional citation counts, incorporating data from social media mentions, news coverage, policy documents, and online reference managers. Altmetrics provide real-time indicators of research dissemination and public engagement, offering insights into how academic content reaches and influences diverse audiences. These metrics complement traditional bibliometric measures by capturing immediate social impact and broader societal relevance of research outputs.
Plain English
New ways of measuring how much attention research gets online through social media shares, news mentions, and downloads instead of just counting traditional academic citations.
In Editorial Context
Contemporary impact assessment tools that help editors and publishers understand content performance across multiple digital channels, informing editorial decisions and demonstrating publication reach beyond academic circles.
Etymology & History
Emerged from growing recognition that traditional citation metrics inadequately captured the full impact of digital-age scholarly communication and public engagement.
Coined as social media became prevalent in academic discourse, reflecting need for more immediate and diverse impact indicators than citation-based measures.
Usage
"The academic library's research support team uses altmetrics data to help faculty demonstrate the broader social impact of their publications for tenure and promotion portfolios."
Usage note: Always used as plural noun; the singular 'altmetric' refers to individual alternative metrics rather than the field itself.
Context: research evaluation, digital publishing, impact assessment, scholarly communication
Region: international
Also known as
Contrasted with
Don't confuse with
Bibliometrics focuses on citation analysis while altmetrics encompasses broader online engagement; webometrics studies web-based scholarly communication patterns rather than specific publication impact.