Altmetric 500 data offers wider insight into research’s most influential articles

Digital Science introduces new take on research impact across countries, fields of research, SDGs and other key categories

Monday 24 June 2024

Digital Science, a technology company serving stakeholders across the research ecosystem, today announces an exciting new tranche of data that throws light on how and why research cuts through to society at large – in the shape of the Altmetric 500.

A decade on from the first Altmetric Top 100 reports, which listed the most influential academic articles in a given year, a leading provider of alternative metrics for published research is now releasing an upgraded overview of research engagement: the Altmetric 500.

The Altmetric 500, which analyses the attention for scholarly articles published in 2023, covers over 50 research categories – representing different fields of research (FoR), geographies and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and reflects activity across 11 different attention sources, including:

• news articles
• academic citations
• policy citations
• blogs
• Wikipedia pages
• X (Twitter) profiles.

“We are delighted to release the Altmetric 500, enabling us to recognize and highlight some of the most influential articles of the year. By extending the scope of the Altmetric 500 to fields of research, countries and even SDGs, we will provide a real flavour of what research has been generating interest and discussion in many different areas,” says Cat Williams, Managing Director of Digital Science’s Data & Analytics Hub.

“A key feature of attention to research is that some outputs can gain attention in one area while being barely acknowledged in another. We can see this in the Altmetric 500, and it really serves to demonstrate how relying on a wider range of indicators is really important for gathering more comprehensive insights,” Ms Williams says.

“The overall aim for the Altmetric 500 is to provide a new way to explore the different meanings of ‘attention’ to research, highlighting the various impacts of research across different channels, platforms and cultures.”

Analysis of the Altmetric 500 highlights (data updated 24 June 2024):

• Harvard University and the University of Oxford feature most frequently, with 12 top articles across the 500 categories in 2023 for Harvard, and 11 for Oxford. The University of Toronto had 9.
• Springer Nature is the most influential publisher with 81 category-leading publications, ahead of Elsevier (53) and Taylor & Francis (48).
• The European Research Council (ERC) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) are the most successful funders, with ERC supporting 14 top publications and NSFC supporting 13.

Through the rest of 2024, Altmetric and Digital Science will explore these impacts and provide examples and use cases for how the data can be leveraged to provide unique insights into research outcomes.

For more information, you can read a blog published by Altmetric on the new initiative: https://www.altmetric.com/blog/varied-layers-of-attention-the-altmetric-500/

For those who wish to delve into the data, the full enriched dataset is available on Figshare here: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25047692.v2

Or you can download the enriched dataset by using this link: https://figshare.com/ndownloader/files/47212108

About Digital Science

Digital Science is an AI-focused technology company providing innovative solutions to complex challenges faced by researchers, universities, funders, industry and publishers. We work in partnership to advance global research for the benefit of society. Through our brands – Altmetric, Dimensions, Figshare, ReadCube, Symplectic, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, Overleaf, Writefull, OntoChem, Scismic and metaphacts – we believe when we solve problems together, we drive progress for all. Visit www.digital-science.com and follow @digitalsci on X or on LinkedIn.

About Altmetric

Altmetric is a leading provider of research metrics, helping everyone involved in research gauge the impact of their work. We serve diverse markets including universities, institutions, government, publishers, corporations, and those who fund research. Our powerful technology searches thousands of online sources, revealing where research is being shared and discussed. Teams can use our powerful Altmetric Explorer application to interrogate the data themselves, embed our dynamic ‘badges’ into their webpages, or get expert insights from Altmetric’s consultants. Altmetric is part of the Digital Science group, dedicated to making the research experience simpler and more productive by applying pioneering technology solutions. Find out more at altmetric.com and follow @altmetric on X.

Media contacts

Simon Linacre, Head of Content, Brand & Press, Digital Science: Mobile +44 7484 381477, s.linacre@digital-science.com

David Ellis, Press, PR & Social Manager, Digital Science: Mobile +61 447 783 023, d.ellis@digital-science.com

Note: This press release was updated on 24 June 2024 to reflect the most up-to-date data available from the Altmetric 500 dataset.