PlumX - Detailed Review
Research Tools
PlumX - Detailed Review Contents
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PlumX - Product Overview
Introduction to PlumX
PlumX is a sophisticated metrics and altmetrics tool developed to track and measure the scholarly impact of various types of research output, including articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, and more.Primary Function
The primary function of PlumX is to provide insights into how people interact with individual pieces of research in the online environment. It goes beyond traditional citation metrics by capturing a wide range of engagement metrics, such as article views, downloads, social media mentions, and policy citations. This helps researchers and authors gauge the broader impact and reach of their work.Target Audience
The target audience for PlumX includes researchers, authors, and journals seeking to assess and showcase the impact of their scholarly work. It is particularly useful for those looking to gain a more comprehensive view of how their research is being received and disseminated across different platforms.Key Features
Metric Categories
PlumX metrics are categorized into five distinct groups:Data Collection and Analysis
PlumX collects data from various online sources, including scholarly databases, social media platforms, and reference managers. It consolidates this information into a user-friendly format, often displayed through a widget on journal platforms, allowing real-time monitoring of an article’s visibility and reach.Integration and Accessibility
PlumX is integrated into several Elsevier platforms, including Scopus, where it serves as a primary source of article-level metrics. This integration makes it easy for users to access and analyze these metrics directly from the Scopus Document details page.Promoting Discoverability
By providing a holistic view of an article’s impact, PlumX enhances the discoverability of research, making it easier for readers to identify relevant and impactful studies. This increased visibility can lead to greater exposure, potential collaborations, and increased citation rates for authors.Overall, PlumX offers a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to measuring the impact of scholarly research, providing valuable insights that go beyond traditional metrics.
PlumX - User Interface and Experience
User Interface of PlumX
The user interface of PlumX, an altmetrics service, is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, particularly for those in academic and research environments.Visual Representation
One of the key features of PlumX is the “Plum Print,” a visual representation that simplifies the vast amount of metrics into a more digestible format. The Plum Print consists of five circles, each representing one of the five categories of metrics: Usage, Captures, Mentions, Social Media, and Citations. The size of each circle corresponds to the number of metrics in that category, allowing users to quickly visualize the relative impact of their research output.Data Accessibility
PlumX integrates seamlessly with existing dashboards within Digital Commons institutional repository software and the research information management system, Pure. This integration makes the metrics viewable, sortable, and exportable, which enhances ease of use for researchers and administrators.Metric Categories
The interface categorizes metrics into five distinct categories, making it easier for users to analyze and compare different types of interactions with their research output. These categories include:Usage
Metrics such as article downloads and video views.Captures
Metrics indicating how often a piece of research is saved or bookmarked.Mentions
Metrics showing mentions in news, blogs, and other online sources.Social Media
Metrics tracking social media interactions.Citations
Traditional citation metrics.Ease of Use
The interface is structured to provide clear and concise information. For instance, users can hover over the Plum Print to get more detailed information about the metrics in each category. This feature ensures that users can quickly access the data they need without having to delve into extensive reports.User Experience
The overall user experience is enhanced by the ability to monitor and report online activity surrounding scholarly digital objects automatically. This automation reduces the manual effort required to track the impact of research, making it more efficient for researchers and institutions to assess their output. Additionally, the free PlumX Metrics artifact widget allows users to gather “one-off” data for digital objects with DOIs, further simplifying the process. In summary, PlumX’s user interface is designed to be clear, intuitive, and highly visual, making it easy for users to engage with and interpret the various metrics related to their research output. PlumX - Key Features and Functionality
PlumX Metrics Overview
PlumX Metrics is a comprehensive tool for measuring the impact and engagement of research output. Here are its main features and how they function:Categories of Metrics
PlumX Metrics are categorized into five distinct groups to help analyze and compare different types of interactions with research output:Citations (Orange)
Tracks the number of times a piece of research is cited in other scholarly works, indicating its academic impact.Usage (Green)
Measures the number of times a research article is downloaded, viewed, or accessed. This includes downloads from repositories like Digital Commons.Captures (Purple)
Reflects the number of times a research work is added to a personal library, bookmarked, or saved by users, indicating interest and potential future engagement.Mentions (Yellow)
Records instances where research is mentioned in the news, policy documents, or other non-academic sources, highlighting its broader impact.Social Media (Blue)
Tracks engagement on social media platforms, such as tweets, shares, and likes, showing how research is discussed and shared publicly.Data Collection and Integration
PlumX gathers data from a variety of online sources where research is published, shared, or referenced. This data is then integrated into various platforms, such as journals, articles, and institutional repositories, to provide a comprehensive view of the research’s impact.Visualization and Reporting
The metrics are visualized through a dynamic widget called the Plum Print, which displays on article-level pages. Each color circle in the Plum Print represents the relative amount of activity in the associated category. Users can hover over the Plum Print to see more detailed metrics and click to view a detail page with specific sources and citation indexes.Export and Analysis
Users can export PlumX data into CSV and Excel formats for further analysis, sharing, or reporting purposes. This feature allows for easy benchmarking of research impact against global or institutional peers and helps in demonstrating compliance with research funding requirements.Publisher and Institutional Integration
Publishers can integrate PlumX Metrics into their journals and platforms to showcase the reach and influence of the research they publish. This integration helps attract authors and readers by providing transparent impact measurements.Benefits for Researchers and Institutions
Researchers
Can measure the reach and influence of their research outputs across academic and public platforms in real-time.Academic Institutions
Can demonstrate the impact of faculty research to funders, partners, and stakeholders, and benchmark research performance across departments and institutional peers.AI Integration
While PlumX Metrics itself does not explicitly rely on AI for its core functionality, it leverages advanced data processing technologies to categorize and analyze large amounts of metric data from various interactions. This allows for efficient and accurate tracking of how people engage with research output online.Conclusion
In summary, PlumX Metrics provides a structured and comprehensive way to measure and analyze the impact of research, making it easier for researchers, institutions, and publishers to assess and communicate the value of their work. PlumX - Performance and Accuracy
Evaluating the Performance and Accuracy of PlumX
Evaluating the performance and accuracy of PlumX, a research metrics tool, involves examining its capabilities, limitations, and areas for improvement.
Performance Metrics and Capabilities
PlumX gathers and analyzes various metrics to provide insights into how research output is interacted with online. Here are some key aspects of its performance:
- Metric Categories: PlumX categorizes metrics into five types: Citations, Usage, Captures, Mentions, and Social Media. This helps in understanding different facets of research engagement, such as how often a piece of research is cited, read, or mentioned in social media and news.
- Data Collection: PlumX uses a range of identifiers to track metrics across multiple sources, ensuring a comprehensive view of research impact. It combines artifact-level usage data with other metrics, providing a detailed picture of research engagement.
- Visualization: The tool offers a user-friendly interface, including the PlumPrint, which visually represents the available metrics for each publication. This makes it easier to see the impact of research at a glance.
Accuracy and Reliability
The accuracy of PlumX metrics is generally reliable, but there are some limitations:
- Data Availability: While PlumX captures a wide range of metrics, data availability can be limited by partnerships with data providers. For instance, it may not have access to proprietary data from all sources, leading to incomplete metrics for some research outputs.
- Metadata Issues: There have been reports of incomplete or inaccurate metadata, which can be time-consuming to correct due to the administrative interface. This can affect the accuracy of the displayed metrics.
- Twitter Metrics: As of 2023, PlumX has ceased gathering and displaying Twitter metrics due to changes in Twitter’s policies, which might reduce the comprehensiveness of social media metrics.
Areas for Improvement
Several areas have been identified where PlumX could improve:
- Administrative Interface: The current interface for adding and managing artifacts is labor-intensive and can be frustrating for administrators. Improvements in usability and the ability to directly edit metadata would enhance efficiency.
- Comprehensive Data: Despite its strengths, PlumX faces challenges in collecting comprehensive data from all sources. Enhancing partnerships with more data providers could address this limitation.
- Maintenance and Updates: Maintaining and updating profiles and artifacts is a significant undertaking. Ongoing development to streamline these processes is necessary to ensure the tool remains effective.
User Feedback and Engagement
User feedback indicates that while PlumX is valuable for showcasing research impact, there are mixed reactions:
- Positive Feedback: Users appreciate the data visualization and the ability to see the extraordinary impact of their work through various metrics.
- Critical Feedback: Some users are concerned about the completeness of metrics, especially for research outputs without a web presence. There are also concerns about privacy and the time commitment required to learn and use the tool.
In summary, PlumX is a valuable tool for measuring research impact, but it has limitations related to data availability, metadata accuracy, and administrative usability. Addressing these areas can improve its performance and accuracy, making it more effective for researchers and institutions.
PlumX - Pricing and Plans
The Pricing Structure of PlumX
Particularly in its integration with research tools and metrics, the pricing structure of PlumX is designed to cater to different needs and users. Here’s a breakdown of the available options:
Free Options
- The PlumX Metrics widget is available free of charge for any journal or digital object with a DOI. This widget allows users to display metrics such as news, blogs, social media, and Wikipedia mentions, citations, and usage statistics directly on their website.
Institutional and Subscription-Based Plans
- For institutions and publishers who want more comprehensive metrics and dashboard capabilities, PlumX is integrated into existing dashboards within platforms like Digital Commons and Pure. To use PlumX data to assess collections at scale, a subscription to the Digital Commons platform is required. This integration allows for viewable, sortable, and exportable metrics similar to the legacy PlumX Metrics dashboard.
- There is a cost associated with having a PlumX Dashboard to view and report on all metrics for a journal or multiple journals. However, the exact pricing for these institutional plans is not publicly detailed and would likely require direct contact with the provider.
Features Available
- The PlumX Metrics include a wide range of data sources such as news, blogs, social media, Wikipedia mentions, citations, and usage statistics. It supports 67 different types of digital objects, from traditional scholarly outputs to audio files, images, and more.
- The free widget and integrated dashboards provide similar metrics, but the dashboard offers more comprehensive reporting and management capabilities for institutions and publishers.
Special Considerations
- Non-commercial open access journals and regional repositories can also use the PlumX Metrics and artifact widget free of charge upon request and approval.
Summary
In summary, while there is a free option for using the PlumX Metrics widget, more advanced features and institutional integrations require a subscription, the specifics of which would need to be discussed directly with the provider.
PlumX - Integration and Compatibility
PlumX Metrics Overview
PlumX Metrics, an altmetrics service, integrates seamlessly with various tools and platforms to provide comprehensive insights into the impact of research output. Here are some key points on its integration and compatibility:Integration with Digital Commons
PlumX Metrics is fully integrated into the Digital Commons platform, which is a popular institutional repository software. This integration allows administrators to view, filter, and export PlumX Metrics directly from the Digital Commons Dashboard. The metrics are displayed on article-level pages, the Digital Commons Dashboard, and the Author Dashboard, providing multiple ways to assess and share the impact of repository content.Compatibility with Scopus
PlumX Metrics is also integrated into Scopus, a major citation database. On Scopus, PlumX Metrics are available as part of the Article Metrics module, providing article-level metrics that complement traditional citation counts. This integration allows users to access PlumX Metrics directly from Scopus document details pages.API Availability
For more advanced and flexible analysis, PlumX Metrics are available via an API for Scopus customers. This API enables deeper benchmarking and analysis of the metrics, making it easier for researchers and administrators to use the data for various purposes.Free PlumX Metrics Widget
For journals or digital objects with DOIs, the PlumX Metrics widget is freely available. This widget can be integrated into item record pages to display metrics such as news, blogs, social media mentions, and usage statistics. The widget is particularly useful for one-off metrics gathering and does not require a full PlumX Dashboard subscription.Compatibility with Other Platforms
PlumX Metrics can be used with various digital library resources that have DOIs, Handles, or other persistent identifiers. It works by monitoring links to specified domain names and identifying persistent identifiers in webpage meta tags. This makes it compatible with a wide range of digital objects, including articles, books, datasets, audio files, images, and more.Additional Features for Subscribers
While the basic PlumX Metrics are available through integrations and the free widget, subscribing to the full PlumX Dashboard provides additional features such as researcher profiles, custom-defined subgroups, and additional analytic reports. Subscribers can also manage research output, profiles, and groups more comprehensively.Conclusion
In summary, PlumX Metrics offers broad compatibility and integration with key research tools and platforms, making it a versatile and valuable resource for assessing the impact of scholarly output. PlumX - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support
PlumX, an altmetrics service, does not explicitly outline a dedicated customer support structure on the provided sources. However, since PlumX is often integrated into existing platforms such as Digital Commons and Pure, support is typically handled through these parent platforms. For instance, users of Digital Commons would likely contact their institutional support or the Digital Commons support team for issues related to PlumX metrics within their repository.Additional Resources
PlumX Metrics Dashboard
PlumX provides a comprehensive metrics dashboard that categorizes metrics into five types: Usage, Captures, Mentions, Social Media, and Citations. This dashboard allows users to view and export detailed metrics about their research outputs, including clicks, downloads, views, bookmarks, social media interactions, and citations.Artifact Page
Each research output, or “artifact,” has its own page where users can view specific metrics, such as original tweets, news and blog posts, and Wikipedia references. This page provides detailed insights into the sources of these metrics.Metric Filtering
Users can filter metrics by type, publication year, or specific timeframes, and sort results by various criteria. This allows for a more granular analysis of the metrics associated with their research outputs.Integration Guides
For administrators, PlumX provides integration guides that explain how to set up and use the PlumX Dashboards within their institutional repositories. These guides cover topics such as updating metrics, viewing artifact pages, and exporting data.Metric Sources
PlumX gathers metrics from a wide range of sources, including news, blogs, social media, and Wikipedia. It also includes historical data from sources like EBSCO and CiteULike. Users can view all metric sources by type on the PlumX website. In summary, while PlumX itself does not offer standalone customer support, it is supported through the platforms it integrates with. The service provides extensive resources and tools for analyzing and interpreting research metrics, making it a valuable asset for institutions and researchers. PlumX - Pros and Cons
Advantages of PlumX
PlumX offers several significant advantages that make it a valuable tool for assessing the impact of research:Comprehensive Metrics
PlumX tracks a wide range of metrics, categorizing them into five dimensions: usage, captures, mentions, social media, and citations. This includes traditional metrics like citations, as well as altmetrics such as article downloads, views, and social media interactions.Broad Data Sources
The tool gathers data from various online sources, including scholarly databases, social media platforms, and reference managers. This provides a holistic view of an article’s or book’s impact, going beyond traditional citation-based metrics.User-Friendly Interface
PlumX presents data in a concise and user-friendly format, often through a widget that displays real-time metrics. This makes it easy for authors and readers to monitor the visibility and reach of their work.Quick Data Processing
PlumX allows for the quick and simple entry of large datasets, processing them efficiently. For samples with less than 50,000 items, the processing is typically completed within 3 hours.Enhanced Discoverability
By integrating PlumX metrics into journal platforms and other research tools, it enhances the discoverability of articles, exposing them to a wider audience and potentially increasing citation rates and collaborations.Versatile Applications
PlumX can track multiple types of output, including books, book chapters, posters, and different versions of the same article (published, pre-print, green OA). This versatility is particularly useful for researchers, librarians, and institutions.Disadvantages of PlumX
Despite its advantages, PlumX also has some notable limitations:Data Consistency Issues
The tool sometimes fails to conserve the exact input data in the output, leading to discrepancies in bibliographical attributes such as ISBNs. This requires manual disambiguation to ensure accurate matching between input and output data.ISBN and Identification Challenges
PlumX faces challenges with ISBNs, as each edition and variation of a book has a unique ISBN. This can make it difficult to aggregate data for different versions of the same book title. While PlumX has developed algorithms to help with this, it remains a significant issue.Categorization Criticisms
The categorization of metrics into five dimensions, while useful, is not without criticism. The categories can be heterogeneous, including different measures from various tools, which can lead to potential overlaps and inaccuracies if not handled carefully.Technical Limitations
The processing time can vary depending on the size of the data sample, and there may be delays in ensuring all data is fully processed. Additionally, the tool’s reliance on external sources can sometimes lead to inconsistencies in the data collected. By considering these advantages and disadvantages, users can better evaluate how PlumX can meet their needs for assessing research impact. PlumX - Comparison with Competitors
Unique Features of PlumX
- Comprehensive Metrics: PlumX collects data from a wide range of sources, including scholarly databases, social media platforms, and reference managers. It provides a holistic view of an article’s impact by tracking citations, views, downloads, mentions in policy documents, news, and social media.
- Usage Data: PlumX integrates usage data from various sources, such as Airiti, which documents content access and downloads from thousands of universities. This feature is particularly valuable for measuring the impact of research that may not receive high citation or social media engagement.
- Real-Time Insights: The PlumX widget displays real-time data, allowing authors to monitor the visibility and reach of their articles immediately after publication.
Potential Alternatives
Altmetric Tools
- Altmetric: While not specifically mentioned in the sources, Altmetric is another prominent altmetrics tool that tracks the online activity of research outputs. It provides similar metrics to PlumX but may have different data sources and visualization tools.
AI-Driven Research Tools
- Connected Papers: This tool generates visual literature maps to help researchers explore related articles. It is free for up to 5 graphs per month and offers an academic subscription for unlimited use. Unlike PlumX, Connected Papers focuses more on visualizing the relationships between papers rather than tracking engagement metrics.
- Inciteful: This tool provides related papers to key articles and illustrates how different papers are related to each other. It is particularly helpful for multi-disciplinary research but does not offer the same level of engagement and usage metrics as PlumX.
General Research Analytics
- Research Rabbit: This free tool helps researchers find related papers and organize their literature reviews. While it does not provide the same depth of metrics as PlumX, it is useful for discovering new research and visualizing the literature landscape.
Key Differences
- Data Scope: PlumX stands out for its broad scope of data collection, including usage statistics from large e-content providers like Airiti. This makes it particularly useful for tracking the impact of research across different regions and types of content.
- Visualization and Insights: While tools like Connected Papers and Inciteful offer visualizations of literature relationships, PlumX focuses more on providing actionable insights into how research is being received and disseminated through various metrics.
PlumX - Frequently Asked Questions
What are PlumX Metrics?
PlumX Metrics are a set of research metrics, also known as altmetrics, that provide insights into how research output is being utilized, interacted with, and talked about online. These metrics are categorized into five groups: Usage, Captures, Mentions, Social Media, and Citations.
What types of research output does PlumX track?
PlumX tracks a wide range of scholarly research output, including articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, posters, presentations, patents, books, datasets, and more. It also tracks multiple versions of the same article, such as published, pre-print, and green open access versions.
What are the five categories of PlumX Metrics?
The five categories of PlumX Metrics are:
- Usage: Measures if anyone is reading or using the research, including clicks, downloads, views, library holdings, and video plays.
- Captures: Indicate that someone wants to come back to the work, such as bookmarks, code forks, favorites, readers, and watchers.
- Mentions: Measure activities like news articles or blog posts about the research.
- Social Media: Includes tweets, Facebook likes, etc., that reference the research.
- Citations: Include traditional citation indexes as well as citations that indicate societal impact, such as clinical or policy citations.
How do PlumX Metrics help researchers?
PlumX Metrics help researchers in several ways:
- They provide immediate feedback on the impact and engagement of their research, beyond traditional citation counts.
- They can be used to support grant applications by showing recent and relevant impact.
- They help publishers and editors understand the performance of published articles.
- They assist librarians in supporting faculty with tenure and promotion or funding applications by providing article-level metrics.
Where can I access PlumX Metrics?
PlumX Metrics are integrated into several Elsevier research products, including Scopus, Pure, Elsevier.com, and Elsevier Journal Branded Solutions. They are also available on the platforms of journal and society partners, with plans to include ScienceDirect in the future.
How do PlumX Metrics enhance the discoverability of research?
PlumX enhances the discoverability of articles by exposing them to a wider audience. The metrics widget displays real-time data on article popularity and engagement levels, making it easier for readers to identify relevant and impactful research. This increased visibility can lead to greater exposure, potential collaborations, and increased citation rates for authors.
Can PlumX Metrics be used for different types of artifacts?
Yes, PlumX Metrics track over 20 different types of research artifacts, including journal articles, books, videos, presentations, datasets, source code, and more. This allows for a comprehensive view of the impact of various types of research output.
How do PlumX Metrics help in grant applications?
PlumX Metrics can help researchers in grant applications by providing narrative input on the impact of their research. These metrics offer more recent and relevant information than traditional citation counts, which can be beneficial for funders who require detailed impact assessments.
Are PlumX Metrics reliable and accurate?
PlumX Metrics gather data from a wide array of online sources, including scholarly databases, social media platforms, and reference managers. The metrics are categorized and analyzed to ensure accuracy and reliability, providing a holistic view of research impact.
Can people manipulate or cheat PlumX Metrics?
While there is always a potential for manipulation in any metric system, PlumX Metrics are designed to track genuine interactions and engagements. However, there is no detailed information available on specific measures to prevent cheating, so it is important to use these metrics responsibly and ethically.
PlumX - Conclusion and Recommendation
Final Assessment of PlumX
PlumX is a versatile and comprehensive tool in the research metrics and analytics category, offering a wide range of benefits for various stakeholders in the academic and research communities.Key Features and Benefits
Comprehensive Metrics
PlumX tracks a broad spectrum of metrics, including citations, usage (downloads, views), captures (e.g., bookmarks in reference managers), mentions (in news, policy documents, blogs), and social media interactions. This holistic approach provides a detailed picture of how research is being used and communicated.
Multi-Source Data
It gathers data from numerous scholarly sources, media channels, and social media platforms, making it one of the most inclusive altmetrics providers. This includes integration with major platforms like Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Airiti, ensuring a broad coverage of research impact.
User-Friendly Interface
The metrics are categorized into five clear categories, facilitating easier analysis and comparison. This categorization helps in making sense of the vast amounts of data involved, making it more manageable for researchers and librarians.
Real-Time Insights
PlumX provides real-time data through widgets embedded in journal platforms, allowing authors to monitor the visibility and reach of their articles as it happens. This real-time feedback is invaluable for assessing the immediate impact of research.
Enhanced Discoverability
By exposing research to a wider audience, PlumX enhances the discoverability of articles, which can lead to greater exposure, potential collaborations, and increased citation rates for authors.
Who Would Benefit Most
Researchers
PlumX is highly beneficial for individual researchers as it helps them track the impact of their work beyond traditional citation metrics. It provides insights into how their research is being used and communicated, which can be crucial for grant applications and career development.
Librarians and Institutions
Libraries and research institutions can use PlumX to assess the impact of their collections and the research output of their affiliated researchers. This helps in strategic planning and resource allocation.
Journals and Publishers
Journals can integrate PlumX to provide authors with a more comprehensive view of their article’s reach and impact, enhancing the overall visibility and credibility of the journal.
Overall Recommendation
PlumX is a highly recommended tool for anyone seeking a comprehensive and multifaceted view of research impact. Its ability to gather and analyze data from a wide array of sources makes it an indispensable asset for researchers, librarians, and institutions. The tool’s user-friendly interface and real-time insights make it particularly valuable for those looking to monitor and analyze the impact of their research in a timely and effective manner. Overall, PlumX offers a rich set of metrics that can significantly enhance the assessment and communication of scholarly impact.