Use of Handle in Institutional Repositories and Its Relationship with Alternative Metrics: A Case Study in Spanish-speaking America

This study investigates the use of persistent identifiers and alternative metrics exposure in Latin American institutional repositories, focusing on 307 repositories from Spanish-speaking countries. Findings reveal that while 82.7% of repositories use the Handle System, only 48% resolve correctly, indicating maintenance challenges. Additionally, a modest presence of alternative metrics is noted, with only 12.1% displaying Altmetric badges and 1.6% exhibiting PlumX badges. Only 29.6% allow the collection of alternative metrics data via Altmetric’s bookmarklet tool. Practical solutions emphasize leveraging persistent identifiers and fostering collaboration with altmetric service providers to enhance metric exposure. This research underscores the importance of optimizing repositories for comprehensive research impact assessment, emphasizing both academic recognition and societal relevance. It provides insights for institutions to improve repository efficiency and document the impact of research outputs effectively, contributing to the advancement of open science practices.