Elsevier Announces the Launch of New Metrics on SciVal to Help Institutions Measure the Economic Impact of Their Research

AMSTERDAM, February 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Data from five of the world's largest patent offices now included in SciVal 

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the launch of new metrics to help measure the economic impact of research within SciVal, Elsevier's tool to analyze and benchmark the world of research, and part of the Elsevier Research Intelligence portfolio of tools and services.

The new indicators are aligned with SciVal's mission to provide a wide range of metrics to analyze and evaluate different aspects of research. With funding bodies and evaluation exercises, such as the UK's Research Excellence Framework, putting researchers under increasing pressure to demonstrate the impact of their research, these new metrics help provide that evidence. The release brings patent-article citations to SciVal along with the inclusion of publication views data from Scopus, the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, throughout the tool.

Patent-article citations from five of the world's largest patent offices will help provide a proxy for innovation and the potential with which the knowledge from that research can be transferred to industry.

The inclusion of Scopus views data provides additional insights into the activities of "non-publishing researchers," a group that makes up approximately one-third of all researchers. These researchers do not cite articles, so usage metrics provide valuable insights into the research behavior of an impactful group of researchers that may otherwise remain 'hidden.'

The product team has enlisted the help from a number of SciVal customers from around the world to beta test the new metrics in this release. "Patent-citation metrics extends SciVal beyond scholarly output - they create a link between research and economic or commercial potential," says Michelle Hutnik, Science Analyst for the Office of the Vice President at Penn State University. "I am looking forward to seeing how this information can be used by our tech transfer office."

"The Scopus view data in the new release will make it very easy to see how much usage the publications from the university are getting," states Olga Moskaleva, Advisor to the Library Director, Saint Petersburg State University. "The next step is to see if we can use this data to help improve our citation counts."

"The development and launch of these new indicators stems from a direct response to research communities' needs to provide evidence of the economic impact their research is having," says Nick Fowler, Managing Director, Research Networks at Elsevier. "We are committed to help research institutions with their research management needs, and by adding new data sources and metrics, and investing into our underlying platform architecture, we are enabling them to make more informed strategic decisions."

Learn more about the release

Note for editors 

Science journalists can request a demo of the new release or complimentary access to SciVal. For more information, please contact Elsevier's Newsroom at [email protected] or +31-20-485-2492.

About Elsevier Research Intelligence 

Elsevier Research Intelligence is a research information management portfolio that improves institutional and individual ability to establish, execute and evaluate research strategy and performance. Combining SciVal tools, the Pure system and custom Analytical Services with the rich data asset Scopus and the reference management technology of Mendeley, Elsevier Research Intelligence equips research institutions, funders, policy-makers and researchers with a wide range of content, tools, and powerful analytics. Elsevier Research Intelligence helps individuals and institutions make better decisions, improve collaboration, attract more investment and optimize expenditure.

About Elsevier 

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey- and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 33,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contact
Elisa Nelissen
Press Officer, Elsevier
+31-20-485-2492
[email protected]

SOURCE Elsevier