Abstract
Altmetrics are new-age research impact metrics that hold the promise of looking beyond the traditional methods of measuring research impact. Altmetrics are real-time metrics that show the outreach of scientific research among an audience from different academic and non-academic backgrounds. Several altmetric systems have been developed in the last few years, either as a cumulative exploratory tool that showcases the different metrics from the various altmetric sources, or as part of existing publisher systems and databases. In the first part of this study, we have analyzed features of nine different altmetric systems, two academic social networking systems, and five other types of systems, including digital libraries, publisher systems, and databases. Results of a feature analysis indicated that the overall coverage of individual features by the systems is moderate, with maximum coverage being 27 out of 33 features analyzed. Features like the visualization of metrics, altmetric sources and bibliometric sources were not found in many systems. Identified gaps were later implemented in the second part of the study, wherein we developed a prototype system, called Altmetrics for Research Impact Actuation (ARIA). We also conducted a user evaluation study of the prototype, the outcome of which was used to improve certain features of ARIA based on user feedback.
Highlights
It has become essential for academic administrators and funding agencies to measure the research impact of individual researchers and research centers
There is uncertainty regarding the quality of data, inconsistency in metrics across various altmetric systems, potential concerns about gaming, and skepticism regarding how they relate to bibliometrics (Haustein 2016)
We prepared an initial list of 32 systems which we categorized into 15 altmetric systems, 10 publisher systems, 5 digital libraries, and 2 academic social networking systems
Summary
It has become essential for academic administrators and funding agencies to measure the research impact of individual researchers and research centers. Academia is moving towards competitive research funding rather than institutional block grants; few countries that have retained block grants have made it performance sensitive (University World News 2013). While assessing research impact is the need of the hour, traditional impact metrics still stand out in influencing major impact-based decisions in all academic spheres. There is still much confusion surrounding the introduction of altmetrics in such decision-making processes. There is uncertainty regarding the quality of data, inconsistency in metrics across various altmetric systems, potential concerns about gaming, and skepticism regarding how they relate to bibliometrics (Haustein 2016). Altmetrics provide a broader timely insight into research and its impact on society
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