Prospects of Altmetrics Application in Social Sciences and Humanities

Abstract

Altmetrics was created as an alternative to traditional scientometric and expert approaches. It is aimed to overcome their drawbacks that are especially evident in socio-humanistic sciences. The main tool of altmetric evaluation of magazine articles and other kinds of scientific published materials is calculating comments to them in social networks, blogs and other online services. Main advantages of this new approach includes capabilities to measure social effect made by the research, getting results fast, and flexibility of indicators. At the same time, altmetric criteria have such disadvantages as manipulative capability and susceptibility to “populist” authors’ messages, restricted presence of researchers in social networks. According to the authors, it is still too early to pose a question of applying altmetrics in science management, though it is expedient to use its information-related functions.