Direct comparison
Counter Vs Altmetrics: Key Differences & Comparison | CASRAI
COUNTER provides standardised, vendor-reported usage statistics such as downloads, used by libraries; altmetrics track online attention — mentions, shares, saves, news, and policy citations. Neither measures research quality directly.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | COUNTER | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| What is measured | Usage — item requests, downloads, views | Online attention — mentions, shares, saves, news, policy |
| Source | Publishers and platforms (vendor-reported) | Aggregators tracking the open web and social platforms |
| Standardisation | Standardised by the COUNTER Code of Practice; auditable | No single standard; varies by provider and platform |
| What it indicates | How much content is accessed and used | Where and how research is being discussed and shared |
| Gaming risk | Robot/double-count rules reduce inflation; not immune | Attention can be manipulated; more readily gamed |
| Normalisation | Total vs Unique metric types distinguish raw from de-duplicated | Comparisons vary by field, platform, and audience |
| Typical use | Libraries: cost-per-use, collection and subscription decisions | Authors and institutions: reach, engagement, broader impact |
| Speed | Reported per reporting period | Often appears within days of publication |
| Quality signal | Does not measure quality — usage is not endorsement | Does not measure quality — attention is not endorsement |
Common questions
FAQ
Do COUNTER statistics or altmetrics measure research quality?+
Neither does. COUNTER measures how much content is accessed and downloaded, and altmetrics measure online attention. High usage or high attention can reflect importance, but also factors unrelated to merit, so both should be read as context rather than as a verdict on quality.
Why would a library prefer COUNTER over altmetrics?+
Because COUNTER provides standardised, comparable, audited usage figures across vendors, which libraries need to assess cost-per-use and make evidence-based subscription and collection decisions. Altmetrics measure external attention, which is less suited to evaluating the value of a subscription.
Are COUNTER and altmetrics interchangeable?+
No — they are complementary. COUNTER captures usage of content (often within and beyond an institution), while altmetrics capture broader online attention across news, policy, and social media. Together they give a fuller picture than either alone.
Can altmetrics be gamed?+
Online attention can be manipulated — for example through coordinated sharing — so altmetric scores should be interpreted with care. COUNTER applies rules to filter robot traffic and double counting, but standardised usage figures are not entirely immune to inflation either.
Going deeper
