Abstract

CALISTO-BREIDING, Camila; PENA-PALLAUTA, Paulina  and  ARELLANO-ROJAS, Paulina. Transforming scientific evaluation in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. A study from altmetrics. Inf. cult. soc. [online]. 2021, n.45, pp.75-94.  Epub Nov 16, 2021. ISSN 1514-8327.  http://dx.doi.org/10.34096/ics.i45.10075.

This article presents the meanings that a group of international experts attribute to altmetrics as instruments of scientific evaluation and components of a future Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy in Latin America. A descriptive qualitative methodology is applied and information is collected through semi-structured interviews with researchers from Chile, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Spain, and the United States; experts in altmetrics; information metrics and/or information policies. The results show that altmetrics strengthen their value when analyzed together with other indicators, since they do not measure the impact or quality of research on their own, but provide novel and relevant data of rapid accumulation, broad disciplinary scope and diverse origin, promoting the use of new channels of scientific communication. Some of the most useful altmetrics indicators are the mentions to public policies, invention patents, and social platforms of high use in the region, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Mendeley; indicators of linkage with the environment, peer review, and other qualitative criteria are also relevant. It is recommended to integrate quantitative and qualitative criteria into Latin American STI policies, which should also be adjusted to local realities and budgets.

Keywords : Altmetrics; Research policy; Scientific assessment; Scientific communication; Metric studies of information.

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