Research intelligence platforms

Answer

What are research intelligence platforms?

Research intelligence platforms are tools that analyse data about academic research to provide insight into trends, performance, influence, and collaboration. These platforms gather data from publications, citations, patents, policy documents, and online mentions.

They are typically used by researchers, institutions, and funders to:

  • Evaluate research performance

  • Benchmark against peers

  • Identify potential collaborators

  • Track developments across disciplines

  • Support strategic planning and impact reporting

Platforms are provided by both commercial companies (e.g. Elsevier, Clarivate) and open-source initiatives (e.g. OpenAlex).

Why should I use research intelligence platforms?

When used responsibly, these tools can help you:

These insights can support REF preparations, grant applications, narrative CVs, impact case studies, and internal reviews.

Research intelligence platforms available via the University of Manchester

The Library provides access to a number of leading tools:


Altmetric Explorer (Digital Science)

Tracks where and how research is shared online, including:

  • Social media (e.g. Twitter/X, Bluesky)

  • News outlets

  • Wikipedia

  • Blogs
     

Altmetric Explorer is useful for understanding public engagement and broader societal impact.


OpenAlex (Our Research)

A free, open-source platform indexing over 250 million research outputs.
Strengths include:

  • Detailed topic classification

  • Citation data

  • SDG alignment

  • Good coverage of humanities and Global South research


InCites (Clarivate)

An analytics platform built on Web of Science data.
Use it for:

  • Citation-based benchmarking

  • Subject-normalised metrics (e.g. CNCI)

  • Collaboration analysis (e.g. Collab-CNCI)

  • Evaluating Highly Cited Researchers
     

Incites is helpful in understanding institutional or field-level performance. 


Overton.io (Overton)

A searchable database of global policy documents, including:

  • Government reports

  • Think tank publications

  • Guidelines from 1,000+ sources in 180+ countries
     

Use Overton to identify how research is used in policy and public discourse.


Scite

Provides Smart Citations showing whether a paper is cited in a supporting or contrasting context.
Useful for exploring how your work is influencing the field—not just how often it is cited.


SciVal (Elsevier)

A comprehensive analytics platform based on Scopus data.
Enables:

  • Output and citation analysis

  • Collaboration mapping

  • SDG contribution tracking

  • Topic and topic cluster visualisation
     

SciVal supports custom reporting and trend analysis.


Scopus (Elsevier)

A large abstract and citation database. Includes peer-reviewed journals, conference papers, and patents.
Use it for:

  • Author and institutional profiles

  • Citation tracking

  • Literature searches


Web of Science (Clarivate)

Multidisciplinary research database with strong coverage in:

  • Sciences

  • Social sciences

  • Arts and humanities
     

Web of Science is used as the data source for InCites and for Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list.


Responsible use of research intelligence

These tools provide valuable insight, but metrics should always be interpreted in context. We recommend using them alongside qualitative evidence—such as peer review or narrative CVs—and being mindful of field differences, data limitations, and potential biases.

Need help navigating these tools?

The Research Indicators team can help you:

  • Choose the most appropriate tool

  • Understand metrics and classification systems

  • Generate custom reports and visualisations

  • Interpret results responsibly

  • Contact us for tailored support.
  • Last Updated 11 Sep 2025
  • Views 267
  • Answered By Lucy May

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