Exploring the Relationship Between Altmetric Attention Scores and Citations: A Study Based on Articles Published in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

Abstract

Objective: This study investigates the relationship between Altmetric Attention Scores (AAS) and traditional citation metrics for articles published in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery between 1990 and 2025. Bibliometric analyses are commonly used to assess the impact and productivity of scientific studies. However, the growing role of social media platforms in academic dissemination has led to the emergence of alternative metrics like AAS, which measure online engagement and attention.

Methods: A search conducted on the Dimensions website identified 17,232 articles published during the study period. Of these, 228 articles had an AAS of 5 or higher. The highest AAS values were predominantly associated with articles published in the last decade. Metrics such as the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) and Relative Citation Ratio (RCR) were analyzed alongside AAS values. The top 10 articles with the highest AAS showed that there was no statistical correlation between AAS and traditional citation metrics, including citation count, FCR, and RCR.

Results: The findings indicate that although altmetric analyses provide valuable insights into the online visibility of articles, they should be used in conjunction with traditional bibliometric methods for a comprehensive evaluation of scholarly impact. The study also underscores the need for further research to understand the interplay between social media engagement and academic citations.

Conclusions: This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the utility of altmetrics in complementing traditional metrics and provides insights for evaluating the multifaceted impact of scientific publications.