Scientific communication and online attention: in search of virtual colleges underpinning altmetrics data

Introduction: Informational exchanges around scientific communication activity have become increasingly dynamic in cyberspace, changing the practice of scientists and expanding the reach of research results that attain an increasingly significant online attention among different groups. Aim: To analyze whether altmetric data regarding online attention point to the existence of "virtual colleges" - composed of people from inside and outside the scientific community - around the scientific topic being discussed and shared in social media. Methodology: An exploratory pilot study, with analysis focused on the impact of the open access article with the highest altmetric indicator for the year 2015, as disclosed by Altmetric.com in its ranking "Top 100". The qualification of online attention is described by the most expressive media (Twitter and Facebook) in a random sample (n = 10%) on which content analysis was carried out and categorization of the types of interaction and characterization of social groups that interacted around the article. Results: The most common form of dissemination observed was retweeting on Twitter (62%) and sharing on Facebook (45%), followed by "conclusive" (16% and 25%) and “argumentative” (15% and 9.6%) categories. The profile of the users responsible for the circulation of and discussion about the article indicates the prevalence of members from the general public. Conclusion: Altmetrics permit the tracking of the potentially more social and democratic impact assessment of scientific research, which becomes particularly evident for the case of articles featuring scientific research deemed to epitomise scientific controversies, the dimensions of which are played out in these “virtual colleges”