Library Guides: Altmetrics: How to make altmetrics work for you

PlumX Metrics

Some popular platforms that use PlumX Metrics include: Elsevier owned products such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, Social Science Research Network (SSRN), and Mendeley. Also some journal publisher collections such as SpringerLink and Wiley Online Library. Some providers have it more buried on the page than others...but, generally, look for a link labelled "information" or "view metrics." Common locations on the page are upper right section of the page or below the author names/affiliations.

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.

ORCiD: Distinguish Yourself

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

checkmark icon 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, ORCID works well with a variety of systems. Connect your ORCID iD with:

Web of Science author profile
Scopus author profile
Google Scholar profile
Pivot-RP (from Clarivate)
Other systems: MyNCBI, Faculty of 1000, etc.

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.

NOTE: the toolkit is in the process of moving to a new platform. It is still possible to browse the toolkit, but the feature to search the toolkit by type of impact or type of product is current not working.

Metrics Toolkit

Altmetric bookmarklet

Altmetric offers a FREE bookmarklet.
It requires registering but it will enable showing metrics at the click of a button.

Altmetric bookmarklet
Note: The bookmarklet only works on PubMed, arXiv, or pages containing a DOI with Google Scholar-friendly citation metadata. You will need to use an email address registered at your institution or organization. Will not work with gmail.com or other free email accounts.

Example bookmarklet with a lot of altmetrics: