Altmetric is one of the platforms that gathers ‘altmetrics’, a new type of alternative metrics that aims to capture the societal impact of research output instead of traditional metrics such as citation counts.

Altmetrics

As altmetrics are changeful and never fully captured by any database, we recommend refraining from focusing on the numbers. It can be a valuable source to identify who is building upon your work commercially and politically and explore the general public’s sentiment.[su_spacer]

Altmetric Explorer

Altmetric provides free data under certain restrictions. It also provides a paid platform called the Explorer for Institutions (EFI).

This Altmetric Explorer allows the user to browse data by author, group, or department. UM has a license for the Altmetric Explorer, which can be accessed using your institutional e-mail address and password.

When using Altmetric data for evaluation purposes, be cautious as the quantitative indicators support qualitative expert assessment, and you should not use these indicators in isolation. For any guidance on using Altmetric responsibly, please contact the library’s Research Intelligence Team via research-i@maastrichtuniversity.nl, or use the contact form below.

More information

About this post 

• Authors: Carien Hilvering and Mariëlle Prevoo
• Editor: Ron Aardening
• Source: Maastricht University
• Image: Internet
• Categories: Library+ Research news & events
• Keywords: Altmetric, Altmetrics, Impact, RSupdate_2108
• 26 August 2021
• License: CC-BY 4.0