Overview
Altmetrics is an emerging field of research which aims to measure the impact of scholarly publications beyond traditional methods such as citations. It provides metrics for the impact of publications in social media, public policy documents, blogs, and other public forums, as well as metrics for how long readers spend on a paper. Altmetrics is an important tool for researchers as it provides an insight into the broader impact of a publication, providing evidence of wider engagement and impact. It also allows researchers to track the attention that their work receives over time. Altmetrics can be used to monitor the buzz around a journal, a paper or its author, and to determine whether an article is being widely shared, discussed or used beyond the realms of academia.