Impact indicators in the Social Sciences journals. A scoping review from a global and Latin American perspective

Abstract

The evaluation of the impact of scientific publications in the social sciences has traditionally been dominated by citation-based indicators, which are limited in scope as they capture only academic impact, overlooking broader societal influence. This study aims to analyze the state of the art in the use of both traditional and alternative metrics for assessing the impact of scientific journals in the social sciences, from a global and Latin American perspective, through a systematic literature review. The review was conducted using rigorous protocols for search, screening, and coding across international databases (Scopus and Web of Science), resulting in the identification of a corpus of 147 relevant articles. The data were classified into four thematic categories, and a semantic relationship analysis was carried out using VOSviewer to identify conceptual patterns and emerging trends. Among the most notable findings is the increasing prevalence of studies examining the relationship between alternative metrics and citations, with Mendeley readership emerging as a key indicator, despite its generally weak to moderate correlation with traditional metrics. Additionally, a thematic shift was observed from citation-centered approaches toward analyses focused on social impact and digital visibility, particularly through social media platforms. At the regional level, the adoption of alternative metrics in Latin America is expanding, though persistent challenges remain in terms of coverage, visibility, and institutional recognition. These findings highlight the need to rethink current research evaluation models—especially within the social sciences—by incorporating more inclusive, context-sensitive approaches aligned with the evolving dynamics of the contemporary academic ecosystem.