Métricas alternativas para a avaliação da produção científica: a altmetria e seu uso pelos bibliotecários

Alternative metrics are scientific communication indicators that help to understand how research results are viewed and used in online environments, complementing traditional analysis based on citation counts. Librarians, who are traditionally involved in the processes of scientific communication, including its measurement and evaluation, can play a key role in the promotion, mediation and implementation of these alternative metrics. To better understand the context and implications of altmetrics in scientific output assessment, particularly in the context of the Brazilian academic community, this paper introduces basic concepts about altmetrics and describes the main tools available to capture and generate alternative metrics, focusing in the role of librarians, both in the internal processes of the library and in supporting other professionals involved with the scientific communication, as researchers, scientific publishers and academic managers.