Inspiring Scientific Curiosity and Discovery

Altmetics: Potential and Pitfalls for Anatomists

Drs. Jessica Byram and Kirsten Brown share the results of their recent collaboration examining the role of altmetrics, or alternative metrics, in academia. They provide an introduction to altmetrics, which are a relatively new way to track engagement and activity related to scholarly works. Altmetrics will be compared to traditional metrics while discussing the strengths and limitations of both sources of research influence and impact. While much of the research in altmetrics focuses on evaluating the relationship between research outputs and academic impact, the value and use of altmetrics remain nebulous and inconsistent. This webinar discusses how journal publishers may be one potential source of this confusion through inconsistencies in definitions and sources for computing altmetrics values. The webinar concludes with recommendations for how faculty as potential end-users of altmetrics. By the end of this webinar, participants will have an understanding of what altmetrics are, how they differ from traditional metrics, and how they can be used by faculty as end-users to promote scholarly works.