Ranking of Iranian medical universities based on altmetric indices

This study was aimed at evaluating the Iranian medical universities’ rankings and altmetric indices in ResearchGate and Academia.edu. This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted using a scientometric method. Social networking measures were collected in MS Excel from January to February 2017. Data were analysed using SPSS software and the Spearman, chi-square and Kendall rank coefficient tests. Ranking information and altmetric indices of 50 Iranian medical universities were collected and analysed. All of the type-1 medical universities have been presented in the Academia.edu and ResearchGate social networks. A statistically significant relationship ( P < 0.05) has been found between the ranking systems of the universities with altmetric indicators, such as the number of members in both social networks, the number of publications and the total RG score in ResearchGate. In addition, there was a significant correlation between the ranking of medical universities based on the H-index of science metrics with their presence in the ResearchGate social network ( P < 0.05). The results of this study reveal a relationship between the universities’ ranking systems and altmetric indicators. These findings emphasise the necessity of increasing the presence of faculty members in social network activities in disseminating and sharing knowledge.