How fast do scholarly papers get read by various user groups? A longitudinal and cross‐disciplinary analysis of the evolution of Mendeley readership
Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, vol. 75, pp. 1433–1450
Abstract
Abstract To provide a dynamic perspective on the evolution of Mendeley readership, this study conducts an 8‐year longitudinal analysis of approximately 3.4 million scholarly papers published in 2015. Mendeley readership data were collected annually from 2016 to 2023 for the sampled papers to analyze the temporal accumulation patterns of readership following publication. The results indicate that Mendeley readership exhibits a speed advantage compared to citations and a prevalence advantage compared to Twitter mentions, demonstrating both initial prevalence and sustained growth on a yearly basis. However, the patterns of accumulation vary across disciplines, with papers in Biomedical and Health Sciences showing the fastest accrual of extensive Mendeley readership data. Leveraging demographic data provided by Mendeley, this study further investigates how different user groups—categorized by academic status, disciplinary affiliation, and geographic location—engage with papers across various disciplines. The findings highlight Mendeley readership as a rapid and substantial altmetric, yet they also emphasize the need to interpret the nature of the attention captured by Mendeley readership with caution, considering its potential biases introduced by the varying engagement levels of different user groups across disciplines.
Authors 4
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Zhichao Fang corresponding Aachen Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands Centre for Science and Technology Studies
Leiden University · Renmin University of China
Affiliation as printed
Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) Leiden University Leiden the Netherlands
School of Information Resource Management Renmin University of China Beijing China
Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
School of Information Resource Management, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
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Affiliation as printed
School of Information Resource Management Renmin University of China Beijing China
School of Information Resource Management, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
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Affiliation as printed
School of Information Resource Management Renmin University of China Beijing China
School of Information Resource Management, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
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Affiliation as printed
School of Information Renmin University of China Beijing China
School of Information, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
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