Correlation between Altmetric score and traditional bibliometric measures for total shoulder arthroplasty manuscripts

Background: The Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) was developed to assess the impact a publication has on various social and mainstream media platforms. In this study, we examine the relationship between AAS and traditional bibliometric measures in peer-reviewed publications discussing total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). Methods: The Altmetric database was utilized to identify the top 50 TSA articles with the highest AAS. The Clarivative Analytics Web of Knowledge database was utilized to obtain various metrics for each article. Linear regression analysis was performed to investigate significant relationship between the variables measured. Results: Among the top 50 studies, the AAS ranged from 19 to 110 with a median of 26. The number of citations for each article ranged from zero to 147 with a median of 15.5. The average impact factor (IF) for journals was 3.45. AAS and number of citations showed a nonsignificant negligible correlation (r = −0.115, P = .425). AAS and IF of the journal of publication had a nonsignificant negligible correlation as well (r = 0.179, P = .215). The most common type of studies were retrospective cohort (32%), case series (20%), and systematic review (18%). Discussion: In the current TSA literature, AAS is not a predictor for number of citations a manuscript receives and is not related to a journal's IF. Therefore, AAS should not be used in lieu of traditional bibliometric measures, although it could be used as a supplement by authors and journals to appraise their social media presence.