Q. What are altmetrics and how can they help me?

Alternative metrics (often called altmetrics) are a way to assess the attention received by research outputs, helping you to question and evaluate them. 

You can find altmetrics at the bottom of some records in StarPlus, as well as in some databases like Dimensions and Altmetric Explorer.

Altmetrics;

• focus on online activity to reveal how research is being shared and discussed both within the academic community and beyond in the current moment. 
• provide an attention score for research outputs that is based on the number of mentions, shares and likes they have received online. 
• enable you to see what the attention score means in comparison to other research outputs.

See our guidance on metrics for more information.