Altmetrics in Chemistry: Alternative Metrics for Research Impact in Chemistry

Evaluation of research chemists worldwide for retention, tenure, and promotion is based on research impact generally measured by citation-based metrics such as the overall number of citations or the Hirsch index. The research impact of published research, however, is measured not only by citations in other academic research papers and books, but also by alternative metrics indicators such as news in newspapers and magazines, posts in social media, mentions in patents, policy documents, online encyclopedias, blogs, and research websites. The analysis of alternative metrics in chemistry-related disciplines fifteen years after its introduction to complement citation-based metrics for assessing research impact suggests three main outcomes. Said insight may further inform undergraduate and graduate chemistry education on scholarly communication in the digital era.