What Is Societal Impact and Where Do Altmetrics Fit into the Equation?

The expectation that scientific research should provide answers to societal issues and support institutional decision-making is increasing, but still there are no systematic methods of identifying and measuring the wider societal impacts of research. In this article, various views on the meaning of impact, the different types of impact or influence that research can have on the society, and the potential of altmetrics to capture and measure this societal impact will be discussed.