Alternative metrics and social impact of research about Social Sciences in Cuba

The evaluation of the social impact of research is a critical concern for both the scientific and social communities. This study aims to describe the social impact of scientific research outcomes in the field of Social Sciences in Cuba. Five dimensions of analysis and 16 alternative indicators were utilized, employing altmetric tools and data sources. The data for the study were collected from the Scopus database and the altmetric data provider PlumX Metrics. Statistical techniques for trend and correlation analysis between indicators, along with data visualization, were used for the analysis. The results indicate that the most prominent indicators were citations in Scopus and CrossRef, Views Count, Full Text Views, Abstract Views, Readers in Mendeley Captures, and social network metrics from Facebook and Twitter. The research findings with the greatest social impact pertained to climate change and environmental policy, scientific production related to COVID-19, higher education, sustainable development, gender studies, legislation, and tourism.