Elsevier Announces Enhanced Journal Metrics SNIP and SJR Now Available in Scopus®

AMSTERDAM, November 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Providing researchers with a more effective journal evaluation

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announces publication of enhanced journal metrics SNIP (Normalized Impact per Paper) and the SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) which are now available in Scopus, the world's largest scholarly abstract and citation database.

Modifications to SNIP, developed by Leiden University's Centre for Science & Technology Studies (CWTS), include improved benchmarking capabilities across different subject areas by correcting for differences in citation practices between fields. The new SNIP calculation results in an average score for all journals in Scopus to approximately equal one, simplifying the comparison of journal scores.

The SJR, developed by the SCImago Research Group, has been enhanced with a refined algorithm to recognize the value of citations from closely related journals which compensates for an ever increasing volume of journals, at the same time also simplifying comparison amongst subject fields by an average value equal to one.

Publishing in high impact journals has direct effects on a researcher's career; consequently journal evaluation is widely used by researchers to assess their publication options. It is therefore essential that the metrics used accurately reflect the prestige of a journal. Every metric has its own particular features, but in general, they all aim to provide rankings and insight into performance based on citation analysis. Journal metrics SNIP and SJR were originally developed in response to elaborate on and complement existing metrics, such as the Impact Factor.

"At Elsevier we aim to provide comprehensive and objective metrics that reflect the ever-changing research landscape," said Cameron Ross, Head of Product Management for Scopus at Elsevier. "We make these metrics available to the research community through Scopus in order to help them more accurately determine which journals they would like to submit their papers to."

To learn more about the methodology behind and enhancements to SNIP and SJR you can access the research papers at http://www.journalmetrics.com.

In Scopus the new journal metrics can be found under the 'Sources' tab or the 'Analytics' tab.

About Scopus

Covering the world's research literature, Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature. Featuring smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research, Scopus was designed and developed with input from over 500 users and librarians internationally. Its unique database contains abstracts and references from nearly 19,500 peer-reviewed journals from more than 5,000 publishers worldwide, ensuring broad interdisciplinary coverage. In addition, Scopus not only offers users citation information about the articles covered, but also directly integrates Web and patent searches. Direct links to subscribed 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 ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Nursing Suite, 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
Iris Kisjes
Elsevier
+1-212-462-1965
I.Kisjes@elsevier.com