The online attention to oral cancer research: An Altmetric analysis

Objectives Altmetrics, or alternative metrics, have recently emerged as a web-based metrics measuring the impact of research with an emphasis on the public engagement with the research output. In this study, we aimed to identify and analyze research articles about oral cancer that provoked the most online attention. Methods Altmetric Explorer was used to identify articles about oral cancer that generated the highest online attention. Descriptive and correlational statistics were performed, and the top 100 articles were identified and analyzed. Results A total of 7,940 articles were identified. Topics were mostly discussed on Facebook, Twitter, Mendeley, and news outlets. The top 100 articles that generated the highest online attention discussed mainly topics related to treatment outcomes and quality of life. Human papilloma virus (HPV) was the most commonly discussed individual topic in the list of top 100 outputs (n = 20). Most articles originated from the USA (n = 46) and Europe (n = 33; mainly from UK [24 articles]). Articles were published in 47 journals that belong to different specialities; journals with a social media account had significantly higher Altmetric scores for their articles compared to those without an account. Conclusion Topics of general interest to the public such as HPV transmission and vaccination, risk factors, and treatment generated the highest online attention.