From bibliometrics to altmetrics : an Australian study - Paper presented at IFLA Academic and Research Libraries Satellite Conference

Bibliometrics and altmetrics are increasingly important tools for researchers wishing to demonstrate the impact of their work. To a large degree, the interest in impact has come about through the growth of national research evaluation systems, such as the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). The introduction of the ERA was the impetus for Australian academic libraries to reconsider their services to researchers in order to assist their academic community in a research evaluation environment. This chapter reports on a nationwide study carried out to determine how academic libraries in Australia are promoting bibliometrics and altmetrics, and the services they are offering to researchers relating to these measures. A content analysis of all Australian university library websites was performed to determine the extent and types of bibliometric and altmetrics tools being promoted, the nature of supporting materials that explain and discuss their use, and the implementation of these measures in institutional repositories. The findings show that Australian university libraries are committed to providing support to their research communities in the area of research impact. The majority have developed dedicated research impact pages, provided descriptive information about how bibliometrics indicators work, and more than 75% offer a research impact consultation service. All 39 universities have established an institutional repository with more than half of these having the capability to provide metrics for publication records. Finally, the research results suggest that academic libraries consider a number of recommendations for best practice to support researchers in a research evaluation environment