The alternative valuation: altmetrics and around

Abstract

Altmetrics are an innovative type of metrics in research assessment. They offer new opportunities to overcome the traditional difference between qualitative and quantitative evaluation. Altmetrics can represent the popularity of a researcher and can measure the diffusion and the degree of attention that catalyzes around a publication. However, they still fail to be a parameter of the quality of research evaluation.
As a matter of fact, new metrics can only be complementary to more traditional metrics and do not replace them. On the contrary, many studies show how altmetrics are predictive of citations. Quite oddly, altmetrics seem to bear a value only when they are put in relation to more traditional quantitative metrics, such as citations.