Are there any disciplinary differences among altmetrics? An analysis on research gate indicators

Purpose The aim of this study was to elucidate disciplinary variations in Research Gate (RG) literature-level altmetric indicators across different levels and discern their implications. Additionally, the research aimed to analyze the congruities and disparities between the attention garnered by articles from the general public and the attention received within scholarly circles. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a stratified sampling method was adopted to collect the altmetric data associated with papers from different disciplines and varying levels of public interest on Altmetric.com, including RG Reads, RG Recommendations, RG Citations, RG Research Interest Score and additional indicator data. The distribution characteristics and meanings of RG indicators were analyzed within disciplinary dimensions, utilizing statistical analysis, comparative analysis, correlation analysis and other methods. Findings The coverage, geometric mean and frequency distribution of RG indicators vary across disciplines. RG Reads consistently show high coverage (>70%) and are suitable in Psychology, Cognitive Sciences, Environmental Sciences and business-related fields, while RG Recommendations have low coverage and are unsuitable as an altmetric indicator. RG Citations are most applicable in Business-related disciplines, whereas the RG Research Interest Score is more relevant to both Business-related disciplines and Natural Sciences disciplines. In addition, RG Reads, RG Citations and RG Research Interest Score strongly correlate with Mendeley Reads and Dimensions Citations, reflecting academic impact. In Earth Sciences and Medicine and Health Sciences, RG Reads and RG Recommendations also correlate with Twitter and Facebook Mentions, indicating social influence. Originality/value This study reveals the disciplinary differences between different levels of RG literature-level altmetric indicators and their implications, a question that has not yet been answered and is critical for metrics application.