Elsevier Launches New Article Metrics Module in Abstract and Citation Database Scopus

AMSTERDAM, July 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

New module provides concise at-a-glance overview of article metrics; helping researchers select what to read and cite

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, has launched a new Scopus module that will provide metrics for articles indexed in Scopus, the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature.

The Article Metrics Module enhances the value of Scopus for researchers by enabling them to make quick decisions around articles based on a summary of authoritative research metrics. In addition, researchers will be able to more easily benchmark articles (including their own) against similar works without compromising the speed of their workflow.

"We believe no single metric gives the whole story - you need a basket of metrics to make informed decisions," said Michael Habib, Senior Product Manager Scopus, Elsevier. "This new Article Metrics Module, by combining citation and alternative metrics, will provide the most comprehensive view of both impact and community engagement of an article."

How it works

For any given Scopus article page, citation and alternative metrics are displayed in both a quick view sidebar and a full details dashboard.

For the alternative metrics, Scopus has introduced the Snowball Metrics standard definitions which are:

• Scholarly Activity - Downloads and posts in common research tools such as Mendeley and CiteULike*.
• Social Activity* - Mentions characterized by rapid, brief engagement on platforms used by the public, such as Twitter, Facebook and Google +.
• Scholarly Commentary* - Reviews, articles and blogs by experts and scholars, such as F1000 Prime, research blogs, and Wikipedia.
• Mass Media* - coverage of research output in the Mass Media (e.g. coverage in top tier media).

In addition to displaying the established metric of Field-Weighted Citation Impact, Scopus has introduced new percentile benchmark metrics for citations, Scholarly Activity, and Social Activity. These benchmarks show how citations or activity received by this article compare with the averages for articles of the same discipline, age, and document type.

For more information, go to: http://blog.scopus.com/posts/new-scopus-article-metrics-a-better-way-to-benchmark-articles

*CiteULike, Scholarly Commentary, Social Activity and Mass Media data provided by altmetric.com

About Scopus

Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and features tools to track, analyze and visualize scholarly research. Its comprehensive database contains 55+ million items indexed from 21,000 titles from more than 5,000 publishers worldwide, ensuring broad interdisciplinary coverage in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences and arts and humanities. Scopus was designed and developed with input from researchers and librarians and features direct links to subscribed full-text articles, other library resources and interoperability with applications such as reference management software. Scopus is part of the Elsevier Research Intelligence portfolio which includes the SciVal tools, the Pure system, rich data assets and custom Analytical Services.

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

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