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Altmetrics: Too soon for use in assessment

Nature volume 494, page 176 (2013)Cite this article

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I question the worth of many of the altmetrics ('alternative metrics') that Heather Piwowar discusses for evaluating a researcher's total output (Nature 493, 159; 2013).

Altmetrics include, for example, the number of downloads, 'likes' or shares for a research-related YouTube video, tweet or blog post. Although these may provide insight into how such research 'products' have influenced the community and the public, they lack authority and credibility as a performance measure, not least because it is easy to cheat by creating multiple accounts.

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  1. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Man Kit Cheung

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  1. Man Kit Cheung
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Correspondence to Man Kit Cheung.

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Cheung, M. Altmetrics: Too soon for use in assessment. Nature 494, 176 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/494176d

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