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05:02
Comparing Bibliometric Analysis Using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Databases
Published on: October 24, 2019
Do altmetrics work? Twitter and ten other social web services
Mike Thelwall1, Stefanie Haustein, Vincent Larivière
1School of Technology, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. m.thelwall@wlv.ac.uk
Plos One
|June 1, 2013
Summary
Altmetrics show associations with citations for many sources like Twitter and blogs, but coverage is often low. Time effects can alter these relationships, impacting article ranking.
Area of Science:
- Bibliometrics
- Scientometrics
- Scholarly Communication
Background:
- Altmetrics are social web indicators of article impact.
- Systematic evidence for altmetric validity as impact proxies is lacking.
- Existing studies show mixed correlations with citation rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare 11 altmetrics against Web of Science citations.
- To assess altmetric validity for PubMed articles.
- To introduce a sign test for citation and usage window biases.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 208,739 PubMed articles with altmetric mentions.
- Comparison of 11 altmetrics (e.g., Twitter, blogs, media) with citation data.
- Application of a sign test to account for temporal biases.
Main Results:
- Significant associations between higher altmetrics and citations found for Twitter, Facebook, blogs, mainstream media, and forums.
- Insufficient evidence for LinkedIn, Pinterest, Q&A sites, and Reddit.
- Low coverage for most altmetrics, except Twitter, limits practical utility.
Conclusions:
- Certain altmetrics can indicate higher citations, but coverage is a concern.
- Temporal effects must be considered when using altmetrics for article ranking.
- Further research is needed on altmetric prevalence and correlation strength.
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