The National Information Standards Organization 2016 publication Outputs of the NISO Alternative Assessment Project (NISO RP-25-2016) outlines recommended practice on the use of altmetrics and provides definitions and use cases. Source: NISO
In Altmetrics 101: A Primer, James Careless writes: Like it or not, altmetrics will become influential as the world becomes more web-based. As a result, what is really up for grabs is not whether altmetrics will take hold (because its ascendance is inevitable) but the usefulness, quality, and fairness of the information collected using altmetrics. Source: Information Today, Feb 2013
Altmetrics is the study and use of non-traditional scholarly impact measures that are based on activity in web-based environments. As scholarship increasingly moves online, these metrics track associated interactions and activity to generate fine-grained data, allowing researchers and policy makers to create a higher resolution picture of the reach and impact of academic research. Source: Altmetrics, PLOS Collections
Noteworthy altmetrics tools and services include:
There are many tools available to help acquire data that can be used as an alternative metric to show impact. Many of these are discipline specific or require a creative approach based on an individual's publication history and profession. However, there are resources that have a broad relevance. Listed below are a few examples.
In addition, some databases are now including alternative metrics to show activity about articles published in journals they index. For example:
