Grand challenges in altmetrics : heterogeneity, data quality and dependencies
Article [Accepted Manuscript]
Abstract(s)
With increasing uptake among researchers, social media are finding their way into
scholarly communication and, under the umbrella term altmetrics, are starting to be utilized in
research evaluation. Fueled by technological possibilities and an increasing demand to
demonstrate impact beyond the scientific community, altmetrics have received great attention
as potential democratizers of the scientific reward system and indicators of societal impact. This
paper focuses on the current challenges for altmetrics. Heterogeneity, data quality and particular dependencies are identified as the three major issues and discussed in detail with an
emphasis on past developments in bibliometrics. The heterogeneity of altmetrics reflects the
diversity of the acts and online events, most of which take place on social media platforms. This
heterogeneity has made it difficult to establish a common definition or conceptual framework.
Data quality issues become apparent in the lack of accuracy, consistency and replicability of
various altmetrics, which is largely affected by the dynamic nature of social media events.
Furthermore altmetrics are shaped by technical possibilities and are particularly dependent on
the availability of APIs and DOIs, strongly dependent on data providers and aggregators, and
potentially influenced by the technical affordances of underlying platforms.
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