Métricas en transición: evaluación de indicadores tradicionales y alternativos en revistas latinoamericanas de ciencias sociales.

Abstract

Altmetrics are transforming the evaluation of scientific impact by complementing traditional bibliometric indicators with a broader and more dynamic perspective on research influence in the digital age. In this context, the scientific ecosystem is undergoing a shift in its prevailing evaluation model as it has been understood in recent years. The main objective of this study is to analyze the distribution of Latin American social science journals indexed in the Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) 2023, and the evolution of their traditional and alternative metrics during the period 2017 – 2023, in order to identify growth dynamics and significant differences related to the impact assessment of scientific publications. The analysis considered the annual scores of 12 alternative metrics and 9 traditional metrics across 356 journals, as well as data obtained through a survey administered to the editors of the journals studied. The findings reveal limited regional representation of social sciences within the SJR, and an uneven pattern of regional editorial production led by Brazil followed by Chile, Colombia and Mexico. In traditional metrics, a sustained growth in SJR, CiteScore and JCI scores was identified, with a slower integration in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) metrics, accompanied by a consolidated editorial use in impact assessment. Altmetrics presented low and scattered values. Mentions on X (Twitter), Wikipedia, mainstream media and blogs exhibited statistically significant growth, while Mendeley readership, Facebook mentions and citations in Dimensions reflected a decrease. This asymmetric behaviour suggests an ongoing transition in the modes of scientific dissemination, although the traditional citation-based model prevails