October 3, 2022
Featuring a spotlight on the extensive attention generated by open access publications.
Altmetric Explorer is an online tool that monitors attention on the web beyond traditional citations for digitally available research publications. It captures mentions for all types of research outputs, including theses and dissertations, datasets, software and code, media files, etc.
The training session will be led by Patty Smith of Altmetric. This hour-long session will introduce you to the platform and its features, and how individual researchers can use the platform to illustrate the reach of their work alongside traditional citation-based metrics. In celebration of Open Access Week 2022, we will highlight the wide reach of open access publications in addition to a general introduction. There will be plenty of time for questions.
Related LibGuide: Alternative Metrics by Emily Nickerson
What is Altmetric Explorer?
Altmetrics, in the broader sense, are a way to measure impact by capturing online mentions of research outputs such as papers and datasets. Altmetric Explorer, Plum Analytics and Impactstory are some popular altmetrics tools, and the Library has recently purchased a subscription to Altmetric Explorer.
Using Altmetric Explorer to improve visibility of your work?
Altmetric Explorer is an online tool that searches the web for “online attention” of research outputs. It captures the attention for all types of research outputs including theses and dissertations, datasets, software and code, media files, etc. Altmetric Explorer pulls data from:
- Public policy documents
- Mainstream media
- Post-publication peer-review platforms (Pubpeer and Publons)
- Wikipedia
- Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, etc)
- Multimedia platforms (YouTube, Stack Overflow, etc)
- Patents
- Open Syllabus Project
- Blogs & Research Highlights (Faculty Opinions)
- Online reference managers (Mendeley)
The overall attention accumulates into an algorithm that calculates the Altmetric Score and provides a visualization (the “Altmetric donut“).
Altmetric Explorer is a powerful tool that can provide contextual information when documenting the impact of your work in CVs, tenure & promotion dossiers, or grant and job applications. Not only does it provide insight into the attention your work receives, it also closes a gap where traditional metrics tend to be in the dark, by covering immediate attention.
The tool helps to answer questions about your output such as “Was my work covered by any news outlets?” – “Are other researchers commenting on my work?” – “Which countries are looking at my publications?” – “Was any of my scientific output cited in any policy documents or patents?” or “How does attention of my open access publications compare to those published in closed access?”.
As an additional feature, the Altmetric Score will be displayed for all content in our repository UVicSpace.
Learn more through our libguide
Attend one of our upcoming workshops!
- Tuesday, October 25 from 1 – 2pm
- Thursday, October 27 from 11am – 12pm
