Australian Research Council Selects Elsevier's SciVerse Scopus for the ERA 2012 Research Assessment

AMSTERDAM, September 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is proud to announce the Australian Research Council has selected SciVerse Scopus, the world's largest abstract and citation database, for the third time as the sole citation provider for the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment for 2012.

ERA is an Australian Government initiative to assess the quality of research undertaken in Australia's higher education institutions, using a combination of indicators and expert review by internationally-recognized researchers with expertise in research evaluation. The 2009 ERA trial covered two discipline clusters, namely Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences (PCE) and Humanities and Creative Arts (HCA). In 2010 the full ERA process was conducted.

Professor Margaret Sheil, CEO of the ARC said, "It is imperative for all key stakeholders involved in the process, including the Australian Government, to understand Australia's strengths, to continue to innovate, collaborate and assist the process of research and discovery. We've selected SciVerse Scopus for its breadth and depth of coverage including journal titles from over 100 nations. The ARC welcomes this collaboration with Elsevier and thanks them for the strong business commitment they have shown for the ERA initiative."

"With SciVerse Scopus selected as the official provider of citation data for ERA 2012, Elsevier is honored to once again contribute to Australia's world-leading research assessment initiative," said Jay Katzen, Managing Director, Academic and Government Markets at Elsevier. "As the global research landscape continues to change, we are excited to further strengthen our relationship with the Australian Research Council and to have the opportunity to contribute to Australia's continued excellence in higher education and research."

The ERA 2012 assessment will open for submissions in March 2012 for all participating Higher Education providers. Further details about ERA 2012 are available at http://www.arc.gov.au/era/default.htm

About the Australian Research Council (ARC)
The Australian Research Council (ARC) is a statutory authority within the Australian Government's Innovation, Industry, Science and Research portfolio. The ARC advises the Australian Government on research matters and manages the National Competitive Grants Program, a significant component of Australia's investment in research and development. Through the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative the ARC will assess research quality within Australia's higher education institutions using a combination of indicators and expert review by committees comprising experienced, internationally-recognised experts.

For more information on the ERA initiative: http://www.arc.gov.au/era/default.htm

About SciVerse Scopus

Covering the world's research literature, SciVerse Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality Web sources with smart tools to track analyze and visualize research. SciVerse Scopus was designed and developed with over 500 users and librarians internationally. Its unique database contains abstracts and references from nearly 18,000 titles from more than 5,000 international publishers, ensuring broad interdisciplinary coverage. In addition, SciVerse Scopus not only offers users citation information about the articles covered, but also directly integrates Web and patent searches. Direct links to full-text articles, library resources and other applications like reference management software, make Scopus quicker, easier and more comprehensive to use than any other literature research tool.

About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact
Anne Harvey
Regional Manager Australia and New Zealand, Elsevier
+1 612 9422 8564
a.harvey@elsevier.com