Digital Science and the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics join forces
New partnership makes it easier for researchers to study the science of science
London, UK, 8am, September 3 — Digital Science, a leader in scholarly technology, is pleased to announce a collaboration with the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI) that will give ISSI members enhanced access to Dimensions and Altmetric data for scientometric research.
ISSI is an international association of scholars and professionals active in the interdisciplinary study science of science, science communication, and science policy. The ISSI community advances the boundaries of quantitative science studies, from theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives.
Starting on October 1 2019, ISSI members will formally be invited to apply for no-cost access to Altmetric and Dimensions web tools and APIs. A committee of ISSI members will provide expert assessment of researchers’ applications and guidance on using Altmetric and Dimensions in their research.
This partnership builds upon Altmetric and Dimensions’ existing no-cost data sharing programs, which are currently open to all researchers conducting non-commercial scientometric research, while providing ISSI members with additional expert advice on early-stage research.
There is an increasing demand for high quality assessments of the science and innovation ecosystem. Scientometric expertise is crucial for ensuring that these assessments are done responsibly and can be relied on as a trusted source of information for policymakers and the public alike. The necessary data for these analyses, however, is often expensive and limited in scope. In order to provide timely and comprehensive analyses, it clear that scientometricians should have direct access to:
- a diverse set of contextual research information that is fully linked together: making it possible to trace a path between grants, clinical trials, publications, patents and policy documents; and,
- research-related data and information with as few constraints as possible, enabling efficient large-scale analysis.
The collaboration marks a significant step forward in how Dimensions and Altmetric data are made available and used by the community to create new scientometric indicators. The partnership will also open up fresh research opportunities for exploration of the more than 100 million publications and 1 billion citations indexed in Dimensions (interlinked with millions of grants and patents, and hundreds of thousands of clinical trial records and policy documents), and 108 million mentions of 13 million scholarly works captured by Altmetric across seventeen distinct online platforms.
Cassidy Sugimoto, President ISSI: “Equity, transparency, and rigor should be the cornerstones of contemporary research. This partnership provides all of our members with access to high-quality data, enhances replicability and reproducibility within the field, and provides an extremely rich dataset for analyses. I’m delighted to join in this partnership which will bring strong benefits to members of our Society and to the field at large.”
Christian Herzog, CEO Dimensions, said: “In the past, access to data has limited the ability of the research community to develop new research approaches and apply their findings effectively in the field. We aim to change this through our commitment to providing no-cost access to Dimensions and Altmetric data for noncommercial scientometric research, enabling the scientometrics community to focus on doing the research rather than struggling to get access to the information they need.”
Notes to editors:
About Digital Science
Digital Science is a technology company working to make research more efficient. We invest in, nurture and support innovative businesses and technologies that make all parts of the research process more open and effective. Our portfolio includes brands including Altmetric, Anywhere Access, Dimensions, Figshare, ReadCube, Symplectic, IFI Claims, GRID, Overleaf, CC Technology, Gigantum, Ripeta and Writefull. We believe that together, we can help researchers make a difference. Visit www.digital-science.com and follow @digitalsci on Twitter.
About ISSI
The International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI) is an international association of scholars and professionals active in the interdisciplinary study science of science, science communication, and science policy. This community focuses on quantitative approaches to the study of science, including informetrics, scientometrics, and webometrics. Visit http://issi-society.org/
About Dimensions
Dimensions is a modern, innovative, linked research knowledge system that re-imagines discovery and access to research. Developed by Digital Science in collaboration with over 100 leading research organizations around the world, Dimensions brings together grants, publications, citations, alternative metrics, clinical trials and patents to deliver a platform that enables users to find and access the most relevant information faster, analyze the academic and broader outcomes of research, and gather insights to inform future strategy. Visit Dimensions’ website at https://dimensions.ai and find us on Twitter @DSDimensions.
About Altmetric
Altmetric’s mission is to track and analyze the online activity around scholarly literature. We collate what people are saying about published research outputs in scholarly and non-scholarly forums like the mainstream media, policy documents, social networks, and blogs to provide a more robust picture of the influence and reach of scholarly work. Altmetric works with some of the biggest publishers, funders, and institutions around the world to deliver this data in an accessible and reliable format. Altmetric is supported by Digital Science. Find out more at altmetric.com and follow us on Twitter @altmetric.
