Clarivate Releases New Visualization Tool for Multi-Dimensional Individual Researcher Performance

Rhea-AI Summary

Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT) has launched the Web of Science™ Author Impact Beamplots, an innovative tool that visualizes a researcher's publication and citation impact comprehensively. Unlike traditional metrics, beamplots provide a normalized citation count, offering deeper insights into researchers' performance over time. This tool aims to facilitate responsible research evaluation by emphasizing contextual factors such as collaboration and research type. Experts highlight that this method combines quantitative and qualitative indicators for a fairer assessment of researcher contributions.

Positive

• Launch of Web of Science™ Author Impact Beamplots enhances user engagement with research data.
• Beamplots provide a multi-dimensional view of individual research performance over time.
• Normalization of citation counts helps reduce bias in evaluating researcher impact.
• Experts support the tool for facilitating responsible and comprehensive research assessments.

Negative

• None.

LONDON, March 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today released a new interactive tool that showcases the range of a researcher's publication and citation impact in a single visualization. The Web of Science™ Author Impact Beamplots will enable users of research metrics to engage more actively with data and provide new opportunities to conduct research assessment in a responsible manner.   

Unlike single-point metrics, a beamplot reveals the volume and citation impact of an individual's publication portfolio through time and provides context for comparison with a broad range of data. The information provided should be considered alongside contextual information such as working location, role, nature of collaborative projects and type of research involved. Each paper's citation count is normalized (i.e., benchmarked against other similar publications) and measured as a percentile and therefore avoids some of the bias present in other researcher metrics.

Lutz Bornmann and Werner Marx of the Max Planck Society first introduced and developed the use of beamplots for scientometric data in 2014 and Clarivate has continued to emphasize the importance of profiles over metrics¹, which draws attention to the information that is lost when data about researchers and their institutions are squeezed into simplified metrics.

Lutz Bornmann, sociologist of science at the Max Planck Society said: "Beamplots combine more information than the popular h-index output and impact data (of single scientists) by showing the data for single papers and in aggregate form. I look forward to seeing how beamplots facilitate more successful research evaluation."

Martin Szomszor, Director at the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)™ said: "Individual researcher evaluation can be done in a responsible manner when appropriate quantitative and qualitative indicators are considered together. Presenting the data in this way allows deeper insights into an individual's publication portfolio."

Joel Haspel, SVP Strategy, Science at Clarivate said: "Everything we do at Clarivate centers around improving the researcher experience and supporting the integrity of the research community. This alternative evaluation tool will enable researchers, universities and funders to step away from oversimplified, problematic metrics and towards a more responsible and successful approach to research evaluation, to offer a fairer and more accurate assessment system for all."

Notes

Interpreting the citation performance of individual researchers with beamplots, a whitepaper published by the Institute for Scientific Information provides guidance on how to interpret beamplots and includes a hypothetical hiring scenario as a case study. It emphasizes the need for context and informed judgement beyond the metrics.

About Clarivate

Clarivate™ is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the lifecycle of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of science and intellectual property. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com.

Media Contact

Rebecca Krahenbuhl, External Communications Manager, Science
media.enquiries@clarivate.com 

¹ Profiles, not metrics. Institute for Scientific Information, 2019.

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SOURCE Clarivate Plc

FAQ

What is the Web of Science™ Author Impact Beamplots by Clarivate?

It is a new interactive tool that visualizes a researcher's publication and citation impact, offering a comprehensive view of performance over time.

How do beamplots improve researcher evaluation?

Beamplots provide normalized citation counts and contextual information, promoting responsible evaluations beyond simple metrics.

When was the Web of Science™ Author Impact Beamplots launched?

The tool was launched on March 1, 2021.

What benefits do beamplots offer to researchers?

They allow for deeper insights into publication portfolios and facilitate a fairer assessment of research contributions.

What is the significance of normalization in beamplots?

Normalization helps provide unbiased citation counts, allowing for more accurate comparisons among researchers.