Scholarly use of social media and altmetrics: A review of the literature

Social media has become integrated into the fabric of the scholarly communication system in fundamental ways, principally through scholarly use of social media platforms and the promotion of new indicators on the basis of interactions with these platforms. Research and scholarship in this area has accelerated since the coining and subsequent advocacy for altmetrics—that is, research indicators based on social media activity. This review provides an extensive account of the state‐of‐the art in both scholarly use of social media and altmetrics. The review consists of 2 main parts: the first examines the use of social media in academia, reviewing the various functions these platforms have in the scholarly…

• AP
  Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

  Award: G‐2014‐3‐25
• SS
  Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada