Altmetrics in Higher Education Institutions: Three Case Studies

Three case studies explore the use of altmetrics in research-intensive higher education institutions in the UK and USA. The exploratory study by Natalia Madjarevic presents findings from interviews with a Research Support Services Librarian, Head of Research Information, and a Principal Investigator. It identifies current applications and potential future use cases for altmetrics tools in university departments.

Use Cases

• Monitor attention to research papers in difficult-to-track sources based on the described use of altmetrics.
• Report to funders using altmetric data as mentioned in the study's findings.
• Enhance grant applications by including altmetrics alongside traditional bibliometrics as described.
• Develop new library services based on the exemplar use cases identified for wider institutional adoption.

Strengths

• Provides detailed insights from three case studies at large institutions.
• Interviews key professional roles including a Research Support Services Librarian and a Principal Investigator.
• Identifies specific exemplar use cases for altmetrics adoption.

Limitations

• Focuses on a small sample size of three institutions.
• Relies on interviews from users of a single tool (Altmetric for Institutions).
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown.

Provenance

Source

Natalia Madjarevic

Collection Method

Interview-based exploratory study.

Geography

Higher education institutions in the UK and USA.