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Elsevier facility to ‘advance evaluation of research’


Elsevier has launched a facility aimed at ‘examining and advancing the evaluation of research across all fields of knowledge production’. The International Center for the Study


of Research (ICSR) is tasked with working closely with the research community to review and develop the use of qualitative and quantitative metrics of research evaluation to create a more transparent and robust approach to research assessment. Elsevier says the mission of the ICSR will be to ‘encourage the examination of research using arrays of metrics and qualitative and quantitative methods, rather than favouring one-size-fits-all approaches’. The facility will draw on the


interconnected disciplines of research evaluation, bibliometrics and scientometrics, science of science, science and technology studies, and science of team science. ‘The evaluation of research has


always been heavily-debated,’ said Éric Archambault, newly-appointed head of the ICSR and general manager of 1science, Elsevier. ‘The International Center for the Study of Research’s aim is to facilitate coherence across these discussions


and provide a progressive momentum and a critical examination of evaluation approaches and metrics. The creation of the ICSR will advance the study of research information and evaluation, ensure the appropriate use of performance indicators; and promote evaluation best practices.’ The ICSR’s advisory board members are


from all corners of the academic world and are experts in research metrics, indicators and research assessment practices. ‘Elsevier is the owner of several data sources that are widely used in research


assessment (for example SciVal, Scopus and PlumX Metrics),’ said Andrew Plume, chair of the ICSR Advisory Board, and senior director for research evaluation at Elsevier. ‘However, independence and neutrality


are central concerns of Elsevier in the establishment of the ICSR. There will be 16 members on the board, representing all continents, with no more than four Elsevier officials serving at one time. Elsevier looks forward to learning from these diverse subject experts from across the world.’


Digital Science joins Research4Life initiative


Digital Science is to collaborate with Research4Life in a deal that will give all Research4Life participants access to its Dimensions Plus product. Dimensions allows participants to explore the research landscape and connections between publications, grants, clinical trials, patents and policy documents. Research4Life is a public-


private partnership that aims to cut the knowledge gap between industrialised and developing countries via free, or very low-cost, access to scientific and professional information to institutions in more than 120 countries. Christian Herzog, CEO at Dimensions, said: ‘We’re


really pleased to support Research4Life’s mission to reduce the knowledge gap between industrialised and developing countries, and support research in countries where access to information is sometimes hard to get. Their wealth of programmes and diversity of participants across the world is inspiring, and something we’re very happy to actively support.’ Dimensions is a research insights platform to break down barriers that brings together more than 100 million publications, $1.3tn of grants, 455,000 clinical trials, 38 million patents, 420,000 policy documents, and associated metrics. Andrea Powell, outreach


28 Research Information August/September 2019


director and publisher co-ordinator at Research4Life STM, said: ‘It’s very exciting that Dimensions is now available to all registered Research4Life users, because it reflects the interconnectedness of the modern research environment and the wide range of information that researchers need to be effective. Dimensions complements the rest of the content accessible via Research4Life very well, and I hope it will contribute to our efforts to level the playing field for researchers in the Global South. We are really delighted to have Digital Science on board.’ More than 9,000 institutions have access to the five


programmes of Research4Life – Hinari, AGORA, OARE, ARDI and GOALI. Users include researchers, academics, students, clinicians, health workers, extension agents, economists, government departments and policymakers. Up to 175 publishers are participating in Research4Life, providing access to 22,500 journals, 81,000 books, and 120 other information resources.


@researchinfo | www.researchinformation.info


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