Product Overview: Altmetric Explorer
The Altmetric Explorer is a powerful, web-based platform designed to track and analyze the broader impact and influence of scholarly research beyond traditional citation metrics. Here’s a detailed look at what the product does and its key features.
What Altmetric Explorer Does
Altmetric Explorer aggregates and analyzes online mentions of research outputs from a diverse range of sources, including news articles, public media mentions, policy documents, government reports, social media posts, blogs, online communities, and Wikipedia entries. This comprehensive approach provides a clear picture of how research is being discussed, shared, and utilized outside the academic sphere.
Key Features and Functionality
Multidimensional Metrics
Altmetric Explorer offers comprehensive and multidimensional metrics that capture the attention and engagement surrounding research outputs. These metrics include mentions from various online sources, allowing users to gauge the real-world impact of their research.
Real-Time Tracking
The platform provides real-time data, enabling users to monitor how their research resonates with the global audience as it happens. This feature is particularly useful for tracking the immediate online reach and engagement of research outputs.
Advanced Search Capabilities
Altmetric Explorer features a robust search interface with both Quick Search and Advanced Search options. Users can filter searches by subject areas (using Field of Research codes), affiliations (using GRID IDs), types of output (e.g., articles, books, data sets), and types of open access. This allows for precise and targeted searches within the full Altmetric database or within an institution’s verified research outputs.
Analysis Tabs
The platform is organized into several analysis tabs:
- Highlights Tab: Summarizes essential data highlights, showing what’s popular and who’s engaging the most with the content.
- Research Outputs Tab: Displays the list of research outputs contained within a given search query.
- Timeline Tab: Shows attention over time.
- Demographics Tab: Provides detailed demographics of the audience engaging with the research.
- Mentions Tab: Lists individual mentions of the research.
- Mention Sources Tab: Details the sources of the mentions.
- Journals Tab: Analyzes the performance of journals in terms of online attention.
Customizable Alerts and Reporting
Users can set up customizable alerts to be notified when their research is mentioned in new sources. The platform also offers filtering and download options, allowing users to refine their searches and export data for further analysis and reporting.
Promotion and Tracking
Altmetric Explorer helps users promote their work by showcasing the real-world impact to funders, institutions, or the public. It also enables tracking of public engagement, helping users understand how their research is being used by policymakers, journalists, and the general public.
Integration and APIs
The platform integrates with other systems through APIs, such as the Altmetric Details Page API and the Explorer API, which provide programmatic access to the metrics data. This allows users to enhance existing reporting workflows and feed Altmetric data into other internal systems.
In summary, the Altmetric Explorer is a versatile tool that offers a holistic view of research impact, enabling users to track, analyze, and promote their work effectively beyond the confines of traditional academic metrics.