WyoScholar, the Institutional Repository: Metrics

Altmetrics measure the attention research receives. They track attention to non-traditional sources, such as mentions in news reports, references in policy documents, mentions in social media, and Wikipedia citations. Altmetrics are great indicators of research impact and can help you understand how your research is being receive and used.

Altmetrics compliment traditional citation based metrics and can provide you with a fuller picture of your research impact. 

Your Altmetric Attention Score will automatically display for any deposit you make in WyoScholar. Look for the score on the right hand side of your WyoScholar record, whether you have deposited an article, conference presentation, or video. This score will track the attention your research receives, for example, if the link to your paper is shared online in a tweet or news article.

You may also have an Altmetric Attention Score in journals you have published in. Check your journal's website to confirm if the publisher is integrated with an altmetric services.

The Altmetric Attention Score or "Altmetric Donut" is an easy way to decipher the attention and impact of research. The difference colors in the Altmetric donut represent different forms of attention. WyoScholar automatically tracks the altmetrics gained by every deposit with an Altmetric Attention Score.

There's no "right" or "good" Altmetric Attention score. A high score could be for either positive or negative reactions just like citations. It's important to remember that no data can tell you the quality of the paper, quality of researchers, or the whole story about research impact. Altmetrics data can tell you the type of attention research is receiving, what countries have engaged with the research, if the article is influential or engaging, and even show you the tweets or comments online that include a link to your research. 

Different colors represent different sources of attentions. Altmetric donuts with strong red have attention from news outlets, purple denotes mentions in policy documents, and a lot of blue means the research has been shared on Twitter or other social media. 

Altmetrics can help tell the full story of your research, and complement traditional bibliometrics. If you already utilize Impact Factor, h-index, and citation counts - simply add your Altmetric Score to the mix to get a fuller idea of how your research is shared and is impactful. Then use altmetrics for research outputs that you don't traditionally have strong metrics for, such as conference presentations, figures, and educational resources you share. 

You can gather real-time attention to your conference presentation by depositing in WyoScholar before a conference. 

Step 1: When your slides are done, deposit to WyoScholar.

Step 2: Save your WyoScholar link, shorten it, and include the link in your presentation. You may also use the DOI link.

Step 3: Tell the audience when you present they can view the slides online and invite them to share the presentation to their colleagues and on social media.

Step 4: View your WyoScholar record page after your presentation to gain insight to how your presentation was shared. For example, you'll be able to not only view the amount of times it was shared online, but also look into any public tweets or discussion about the presentation.