STM publisher Springer has added altmetrics information to every article available on SpringerLink, the publishing company's online platform. The data is provided by Altmetric, a London-based start-up which tracks and analyzes the online activity around scholarly literature. The addition of this feature makes the alternative metrics that measure the impact of research (or, "altmetrics") more readily available to users by adding it to the abstract page for every article. This information is also visible to anyone visiting SpringerLink, not just those with access to full text articles.
Altmetrics are fast becoming an important measure to researchers as they look to get a more dynamic understanding of how their research is being used and referenced. Rather than using only the traditional measures of an article's citations, altmetrics allow scientists to see where their work is being discussed and shared in the social web. Providing these alternative measures of an article's impact is another way Springer is looking to add more value not only for users, but also for authors.
The number of shares for any given article will now be listed alongside citations on articles' abstract pages on SpringerLink. While the "citations" link will redirect users to springer.com, the "shares" link will send users to Altmetric where they can dive into the discussions around any given piece of research.
