Altmetria e Gestão do Conhecimento

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Abstract

Introduction. This study examines the articulation between knowledge management and altmetrics, in light of the contemporary challenges of open science and the intensification of information flows in digital environments. In response to the increasing demand for transparency, public engagement, and the social visibility of science, universities and research institutions are urged to revise their strategies for scientific communication and institutional information management. In this context, the integration of knowledge management,understood as the structuring, storage, dissemination, and reuse of organizational knowledge, with altmetrics, which provides real-time indicators on the circulation and social impact of scientific outputs, emerges as a strategic approach that warrants further investigation. Objective. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential relationship between knowledge management and altmetrics by identifying evidence of such interrelation in the scientific literature and reflecting on its implications for institutional planning and information policy development. Methodology. The research adopts a qualitative, exploratory, and theoretical-reflective approach, supported by a bibliographic review conducted across three information science and open-access databases: BRAPCI, SciELO, and OpenAlex. Results. The search retrieved 63 documents, among which only two demonstrated thematic alignment with the intersection of knowledge management and altmetrics, an indication of the still underexplored nature of this interface in the academic literature. Due to the limited number of directly relevant studies, the analytical scope was expanded to include adjacent concepts such as informational surveillance, technological surveillance, and business intelligence. These constructs were incorporated based on their conceptual proximity, given their shared emphasis on monitoring, structuring, and the strategic use of information in organizational decision-making. The two selected articles address key aspects of informational metrics and the dissemination of scientific knowledge in both academic and non-academic environments. One paper highlights the relevance of knowledge management within the field of Information Science, emphasizing its presence in scholarly publications and academic social networks—underscoring its potential as an object of metric analysis. The other study focuses on the implementation of business intelligence systems in the public sector, showing that the assimilation and strategic use of knowledge are fundamental to improving public administration. It further opens space for reflections on how digital dissemination practices and altmetric indicators might inform understandings of knowledge impact on public policy. The analysis also revealed that informational and technological surveillance are conceptually and functionally aligned with both knowledge management and altmetrics, as they offer frameworks for the systematic tracking and analysis of relevant information. Informational surveillance involves the continuous monitoring of internal and external data to support informed decision-making, while technological surveillance focuses on identifying trends, innovations, and scientific or technological developments. Business intelligence, in turn, combines information resources and digital technologies to transform raw data into strategic evidence, supporting agile and evidence-informed organizational practices. The study includes an analytical framework that systematizes the relationships among these three constructs and their intersections with knowledge management and altmetrics. This framework demonstrates the potential for integrating these approaches to enhance organizational intelligence and strengthen the strategic positioning of academic institutions. Altmetrics is thus positioned as a complementary instrument to traditional citation-based metrics, capable of capturing the broader digital and societal reception of scientific research. Through the identification of mentions across social media platforms, blogs, news portals, videos, podcasts, and other digital environments, altmetrics enables institutions to assess engagement levels, audience reach, and effective dissemination channels for their scientific outputs. This real-time feedback mechanism makes altmetrics a valuable tool for scientific assessment, institutional communication strategies, and the development of evidence-based public policies. Moreover, the articulation between altmetrics and knowledge management gains particular relevance in contexts such as public health, climate change, emerging technologies, and social justice, domains in which scientific knowledge must circulate swiftly and reach heterogeneous publics to maximize its societal impact. For example, in the context of health crises, altmetrics may be used to trace the dissemination of research on vaccines, treatments, and public health guidelines, thereby supporting information governance and enhancing public trust in science. In the domain of social justice, altmetric indicators help map how scientific knowledge on systemic inequalities is being appropriated and amplified by digital collectives, advocacy networks, and grassroots movements, reinforcing the political and transformative potential of science. The study also presents a conceptual figure that portrays the integration of knowledge management and altmetrics as a bridge supported by complementary pillars. On one side, the internal processes of knowledge management, identifying, creating, storing, disseminating, utilizing, and evaluating organizational knowledge, are represented; on the other, altmetric indicators reflect the social reception and digital circulation of that knowledge. At the intersection lie constructs such as informational surveillance and business intelligence, which act as articulation mechanisms and feedback loops between knowledge production and reception, expanding institutional capacity to respond to societal demands through evidence-informed strategies. Conclusion. Although still incipient in the scholarly literature, the integration between knowledge management and altmetrics represents a promising avenue for enhancing information governance in academic and research institutions. Such integration facilitates the transformation of data and documents into strategic informational assets, strengthens scientific communication, promotes broader public engagement with science, and supports the development of policies more closely aligned with societal needs. The findings underscore the necessity of investing in professional training, the development of information literacy and digital competencies, and the formulation of institutional policies that ensure the ethical, critical, and transparent use of altmetric indicators. Finally, the study recommends future empirical investigations through case studies, the implementation of altmetric tools in organizational settings, and the evaluation of how these indicators are integrated into decision-making, institutional assessment, and open science strategies, recognizing the potential of these approaches to reinforce the connection between scientific knowledge, public policy, and social well-being.