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The Future of Scholarly Metrics: Navigating the Shift to Altmetrics

As scholarly communication rapidly evolves, the need for new metrics becomes critical. This article explores the fragmentation of research outputs, the rise of diverse channels, and the challenges posed to traditional journal-level metrics. It discusses whether altmetrics can effectively measure real-world impact, predict citation counts, and potentially replace peer review. By examining various types of altmetrics, ranging from web links and social media mentions to usage counts, it emphasizes the necessity for a nuanced understanding of what these metrics mean in an ever-changing scholarly landscape.

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The Future of Scholarly Metrics: Navigating the Shift to Altmetrics

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  1. "How do I know thee? Let me count the cites..." Mike Taylor Elsevier Labs http://labs.elsevier.com | @herrison2000 2012-06-28

  2. Abstract • As scholarly communication explodes and fragments, who will be the arbiter of good science? • Will our hitherto internal metrics find a new life in the brave new world? • Will there be a new currency of tweetation, linkage and nanoclaims? • Or will indecision result in a defacto and proprietory ranking agency determining the common view of the scholarly universe?

  3. Is there a problem? • Growth of research • Fracturing of output • Increasing diversity of channels • Canonical Article / Journal under attack

  4. Criticism of journal-level metrics • Proprietary • Simplistic and over-generalizing • From a time when paper ruled • Can’t be accurately re-calculated from ‘outside’

  5. What makes altmetrics interesting? • Is it the “open alternative” to proprietary interests? • Does it predict citation count? • Does it measure “real world” impact? • Will it eliminate peer review?

  6. What is altmetrics anyway? • Web links • Mass media mentions • Tweets • Usage counts • Recommendations in reference managers

  7. Anything else? • Data publishing and re-use • Workflow sharing • Authoring network analysis • Down-stream influence • Team development

  8. Will it kill peer review? • No

  9. Will it kill peer review? • No • Wrong type of data • Communities are too small

  10. Is it open? • It can be, but it’s not essential • Total-impact – open • Altmetric.com – openish / commercialish • Plum Analytics – commercial • Google / Microsoft Academic – who can say

  11. Can altmetricspredict impact? • Possibly – research looks hopeful

  12. Does altmetrics measure “whole world” impact? • Yes • But does it mean anything?

  13. Is altmetrics a specific form of web analytics? • Some of the terms are similar • But the rationale is different • There is no level playing field • Far more complicated • It’s not a popularity contest

  14. How much more complicated? • Measure of success for a grad student is different from a senior industrial researcher • Different fields have different cultures and different usage • Different institutions want different things

  15. We know altmetrics means something • But we don’t know what • And it keeps changing • We will use science to work it out

  16. An anarchy of data • …Is the current state • …But we need more data • Research will let us make sense of the anarchy • Out of the wilderness will come products

  17. Polemic! • One number does not fit all • One product will not work for all • There must be diversity • Common understanding of what the data means • Commonwealth of data and research

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