Fourth Fifth International Conference on Science and Technology Metrics (STMet 2024)
Evaluating the scholarly impact of open-access and non-open-access publications of CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute Using PlumX metrics: A multi-dimensional assessment
Pravi Raj K, Padmavathi T, Sanjai Lal K P FOSTIS/Library, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute India
Abstract: Research impact is now evaluated using a more comprehensive, advanced understanding of how academic research is
disseminated and used, going beyond conventional citation-based metrics. Altmetrics analysis provides further insights into
the scope and impact of research across a wide range of societal and professional domains. This study examines the
research productivity, scholarly influence, and online visibility of publications from CSIR Central Food Technological Research
Institute (CFTRI) using the PlumX Metrics framework. Publication records from 2012 to 2025 were retrieved from the Scopus
database and enriched with PlumX data. A total of 2,387 articles were identified and manually verified for analysis across the
five PlumX categories: Usage, Captures, Mentions, Social Media, and Citations. To assess trends and patterns, descriptive
statistics and time-series analysis were applied to publication output and impact. Normalised average values were compared
across major research domains. Relationships between metric types were explored using Python libraries, and comparative
analysis was conducted to evaluate differences between Open Access (OA) and Non-Open Access (N-OA) publications. The
results reveal distinct variations across metric categories in Food Science research. Capture (Mendeley readers) shows the
strongest activity, reflecting high visibility and serving as a leading indicator of future citations. In contrast, Mention metrics
(e.g., blogs, news coverage) remain very low, indicating limited public or media engagement. Comparisons between OA and
N-OA outputs show significant differences in Usage and Capture, with OA publications substantially outperforming N-OA,
suggesting greater reach and discoverability. However, Citations, Social Media, and Mentions exhibit only marginal differences
between the two groups. Statistics confirm that OA articles achieve significantly higher Usage than N-OA, though both groups
perform similarly in terms of citations, social media attention, and media mentions.Overall, the findings demonstrate a
growing trend in online visibility of CSIR-CFTRI research outputs over time. While Open Access clearly enhances readership
and discoverability, it does not necessarily translate into proportionally higher citation impact or social media engagement
compared to non-OA publications.
Keywords: PlumX Metrics, CSIR-CFTRI, Almetrics, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Citation Analysis, Research impact evaluation, Food Science, Open Access, Non-Open Access Evaluating the scholarly impact of open-access and non-open-access publications of CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute Using PlumX metrics: A multi-dimensional assessment
