NISO Launches New Standards Development Projects in New Forms of Assessing
Impact & Altmetrics

Interested participants from libraries, scholarly publishers, research
funders, scholars, university departments of academic affairs, providers of
alternative metrics data, and system providers are encouraged to contact
NISO

 

The voting members of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO)
have approved four new projects to develop standards for alternative
assessment metrics (altmetrics). The NISO Alternative Assessment Metrics
Initiative was begun in July 2013 with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation with a goal of building trust and adoption in new methods of
assessing impact. Phase 1 of the project, which was completed this summer,
gathered a large array of relevant stakeholder groups to identify what areas
of alternative metrics would benefit most from standards-related
developments. This input was distilled into a white paper published in June
2014, which was then presented to the NISO community to prioritize the
action items as possible NISO work items. Phase 2 of the project will be to
develop standards or recommended practices in the prioritized areas of
definitions, calculation methodologies, improvement of data quality, and use
of persistent identifiers in alternative metrics. As part of each project,
relevant use cases and how they apply to different stakeholder groups will
be developed.

"Assessment of scholarship is a critical component of the research process,
impacting everything from which projects get funded to who gains promotion
and tenure, and which publications gain prominence in their fields of
inquiry," explains Martin Fenner, Technical Lead, PLOS Article Level
Metrics, and Chair of the NISO Alternative Metrics Initiative Steering
Committee. "However, traditional metrics that have been primarily based on
print processes are failing to keep pace with both the expanded range of
research outputs produced by scholars, and the diverse usage of these
research outputs in scholarly communication that is increasingly purely
electronic. Altmetrics are increasingly being used and discussed as an
expansion of the tools available for measuring the scholarly and social
impact of research. For altmetrics to move out of its current pilot or
proof-of-concept phase, we need to develop commonly used definitions and
guidelines for appropriate collection and reporting of data, so that
organizations who wish to utilize these metrics can adequately understand
them and ensure their consistent application and meaning across the
community."

"The NISO Alternative Assessment Steering Committee will oversee several
working groups that will be formed to develop the identified standards and
recommended practices," states Nettie Lagace, NISO Associate Director for
Programs. "For participation on these working groups, we are seeking
interested participants from all the affected stakeholders including
libraries, scholarly publishers, research funders (governmental and
non-governmental), scholars, university departments of academic affairs,
providers of alternative metrics data, and system providers who incorporate
different elements of alternative metrics in their services."

"We expect this initiative will continue to be broadly inclusive, with
contributions from a diverse set of voices, who will be reliant on these new
metrics and resulting tools," said Todd Carpenter, NISO Executive Director.
"In addition to the working group members, we also will seek broader
community feedback through stakeholder interest groups. In addition, draft
documents will be made available for public comment and/or trial use before
finalization and publication. NISO will also schedule public webinars for
further discussion and training during the development process."

The approved proposal for the Phase 2 projects as well as the Phase 1 White
Paper are available on the NISO website at:
www.niso.org/topics/tl/altmetrics_initiative/. Anyone interested in
participating on one of the initiative's working groups should use the
online contact form (www.niso.org/contact/) and indicate in which of the
four activity area(s) you are interested. 

 

 

Cynthia Hodgson

Technical Editor / Consultant

National Information Standards Organization

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301-654-2512

 

 

 

 


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