Category Archives: Technologies

Catching up on how new metrics provide added value for published research

Being required to isolate yourself at home provides an opportunity to get to that extra reading and watching recorded webinars on topics of interest you always meant to do but didn’t have the time. 

New Metrics

Those of you interested or involved in research will want to learn more about new metrics tools and how they are used to measure the interest and impact of published research as it is discussed in the online environment. New metrics are altmetrics that augment bibliometric analysis to get a broader understanding of the impact of published research.

I spoke about new metrics in a webinar sponsored by Soutron Global (https://soutronglobal.com/) in December 2019. The webinar recording is available here:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/4485040274576162563

In the webinar I mention the book “The New Metrics: Practical Assessment of Research Impact” edited by Elaine M. Lasda, Emerald Publishing, c2019. This book gives a great overview of bibliometrics and altmetrics followed by chapters describing case studies of implementations in various environments including one I did at a natural history museum.

 

 

Altmetrics for librarians

About 6 years ago a new area of tools was developed that helps collect and measure mentions of research articles online. Altmetrics helps to gather information about research and enables expansion of the understanding of the awareness and potential value of the research.  The field is known as altmetrics and it supplements the typical information found with citation analysis that form the basis for impact factors. There are a few companies with products and services providing altmetrics. I am working with the Altmetric for Institutions product from Altmetric – a Digital Science company based in London, UK .

Librarians in research institutions would find this set of tools of interest and can read my paper or watch a presentation I gave about it at the VALA2016 conference in Melbourne, Australia in February 2016. This is the link for it: http://www.vala.org.au/vala2016-proceedings/1000-vala2016-session-6-hulser.

Holding tablet while giving a presentation isn’t creative

Anyone who knows me knows I enjoy technology though I’m not as early an adapter as others who must have the latest thing the day it is available. However, lately I’ve seen more people speak in front of an audience without a podium or table holding onto their iPads or equivalent tablets. Last week I heard a talk by an author about creativity and the only thing ‘creative’ was he read notes and excerpts from his book off his tablet holding it awkwardly on his forearm. If the tablet is being used to its potential to access interesting apps to show or other uses, great. But if it is only a replacement for simple index cards or similar ‘old fashioned notes’ vehicle, what are you trying to convey? OK, I get it, you have the latest gadget, it cost a bunch of money, maybe you want to write it off as a business expense, and at the very least want to show it off. However, that in itself is not creative or practical. It also looks quite awkward and the audience is waiting for it to careen off your forearm and crash onto the floor.
Let’s think about the tools we use, how we use them, and what impression we want to give to those viewing our use. Sometimes we get it right, but more and more people get it wrong. Let’s not be those latter people!