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Research Impact Metrics

Provides an overview of Research Impact Metrics

Altmetric Explorer

Logo of Altmetric Explorer

Altmetric Explorer is a web-based platform that allows anyone at Macquarie University to track, search, and measure the online conversations about their research and that of the University. It tracks mentions in major news sources, blogs, government policy documents, Wikipedia, and social media from July 2011 onwards. 

You can use Altmetric Explorer to explore mentions in those sources for:

  • all publications with authors affiliated with Macquarie University, or
  • for specific authors, or
  • Faculties, Departments, or Schools, or
  • subject areas

This is an example of a journal article and its Altmetric score:

Chapman, S., Alper, P., Agho, K., & Jones, M. (2006). Australia’s 1996 gun law reforms: faster falls in firearm deaths, firearm suicides, and a decade without mass shootings. Injury Prevention, 12(6), 365-372. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013714

Almetric score for a journal article

 

Sample Statement:

"My publications were widely discussed and mentioned in social media platforms, according to Altmetric Explorer, I received 240 mentions from Facebook, 309 mentions from X, two government policy documents and 3 patent registrations referred my papers."

What is the Almetric Attention Score:

The Altmetric Attention Score for a research output is a weighted count and provides an indicator of the amount of attention that it has received. While the most important part of an Altmetric report is the qualitative data, it's also useful to put attention in context and see how some research outputs are doing relative to others.
 

For more information on how the score is calculated, click on the link below;

  1. Go to Almetric Explorer and login
  2. On the homepage, click on the Institution icon on the left   Institutions Icon
  3. Select the beginning letter for your last name and scroll until you find it
  4. Click on View Results
  5. In the results screen, click on Export this Tab to download your data as a CSV file
  6. Open the CSV file to see your Attention Scores

 

Screenshot showing an author profile page in Almetrics Explorer

  • Explore different alternative metrics providers: Identify which alternative metrics tools and providers are most relevant to your specific research area
  • Complement with traditional metrics: Alternative metrics alone don't provide a complete picture. Use them alongside other metrics and data to create a comprehensive research narrative
  • Beware of manipulation: Like any metric, alternative metrics can be subject to manipulation or gaming, so interpret them with caution
  • Consider data normalization: Alternative metrics data is not normalized, making it important to consider context when comparing across different fields or time periods