Altmetrics

Using altmetrics in your work

One of the most difficult things about altmetrics is that they are tracked in many different ways and across many different platforms. This page will go over:

• Tools to help you manage and track your research outputs and their altmetrics
• How to make altmetrics work for you.

An ORCID^® identifier (iD) is a persistent personal ID. Using your ORCID iD is more accurate and secure than a name: many people can have the same name but each ORCID iD is unique. An ORCID iD provides an easy way to distinguish yourself from other people with similar names guaranteeing that you will get credit for your work. For more about ORCID, visit our website. 

View a sample ORCID iD profile

Register for an ORCID iD

Things to know about ORCID iDs

• Registering for an ORCID iD is free.
• You can choose which parts of your profile are public. (A public profile is much more useful!) 
• You can link DOI's and grant numbers to your ORCID iD.
• Currently working for Iowa State? Select Iowa State University as your institution in the "Employment" section. 

Connect other identifiers 

Unlike other closed systems, for-profit researcher profiles, ORCID works well with a variety of systems. Connect your ORCID iD with: 

• ResearcherID
• Scopus Author Identifier
• Google Scholar
• Proquest Pivot
• Other systems: MyNCBI, Faculty of 1000, etc. 

Impactstory: Your CV, but better.

Impactstory is a tool that gathers altmetrics from many sources under one roof. It is a way to promote, manage, and share your research and scholarship. Some researchers are using Impactstory as an alternative to a static online CV/resume. Impactstory is able to collect this information through ORCID.

 Sign up for a free Impactstory using ORCID

Things to know about Impactstory

• Impactstory is currently the only tool that provides this type of service for individuals.
• Impactstory is automated with limited customizations; it pulls data from ORCID, Twitter, and other sources.
• The only way to add a new item to Impactstory is to add it to your ORCID profile.

Unsure what a metric means? Use the Metrics Toolkit!

The Metrics Toolkit is a resource for researchers and evaluators that provides guidance for demonstrating and evaluating claims of research impact.  With the Toolkit you can quickly understand what a metric means, how it is calculated, and if it’s good match for your impact question.

This new tool addresses both traditional metrics and altmetrics in an easy to use interface.