Research intelligence platforms
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What are research intelligence platforms?
Research intelligence platforms are comprehensive databases and analytical tools designed to provide insights into scholarly output, impact, and trends. These platforms primarily collect, aggregate and analyse data relating to academic output. These include publications, citations, patents, and in some cases, broader research outputs and mentions. They are produced by both commercial entities and open-source initiatives.
Commercial providers like Elsevier and Clarivate offer sophisticated platforms that combine extensive databases with advanced analytics tools. These include products such as SciVal and Web of Science, which provide detailed bibliometric data and analysis capabilities. On the other hand, open-source alternatives like OpenAlex aim to democratise access to scholarly data by providing free, open databases of academic publication data.
The data and analyses produced within these platforms can be used by institutions, funders, and individual researchers to better understand research performance, identify collaboration opportunities, and track emerging trends in various fields of study.
Why should I use research intelligence platforms?
When used responsibly,research intelligence platforms can offer a wide range of benefits to understand more about your individual research; developments in specific research fields; or to gain a holistic view relating to a group of research outputs:
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Aggregated insights: These tools can be used to produce a holistic view of research output and impact, for specific groups of research outputs (such as those produced by a Faculty or School).
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Collaboration opportunities: The tools can be used to identify key players and emerging trends in specific fields. This can help researchers to identify potential research collaborators.
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Trend analysis: These tools allow users to track emerging research areas and hot topics, helping to guide future research directions.
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Competitive benchmarking: Institutions can compare their research performance against peers, helping to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
What platforms are available?
Here's a brief overview of the key research intelligence platforms available via the University of Manchester Library:
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Altmetric Explorer (Altmetric): Provides access to alternative metrics which provide a record of how research outputs are shared and discussed online. The platform provides insights into the online visibility and engagement of research outputs such as academic articles, books, and datasets. It also tracks mentions, shares, and discussions across various online sources, including social media (including Twitter/X and BlueSky), news outlets, blogs, and more.
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Dimensions Research Integrity app (Digital Science): A tool focused on research integrity. The app analyses published papers to identify and report on the presence of Trust Markers (indicators of responsible science) within research publications.
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OpenAlex: Provided by Our Research, a non-profit dedicated to making research open. Content is indexed from over 250 million research outputs from 250,000 sources, with extra coverage of humanities, non-English languages, and the Global South. Outputs are enriched with topic information, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and citation counts.
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Incites: An advanced research intelligence tool tool which analyses research output and productivity using citation data provided by Clarivate's Web of Science database.
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Overton.io (Overton): The world's largest searchable index of policy documents, guidelines, think tank publications and working papers. It collects data from 188 countries and over a thousand sources worldwide with more data sources being added regularly.
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Scite: A research discovery and analysis platform. It provides indicators as to how and why papers receive citations (through its Smart Citations feature). Smart Citations provide additional context around the citations a publication has received by indicating whether these offer supporting or contrasting evidence for a particular claim.
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SciVal (Elsevier): SciVal is an advanced research intelligence tool which provides access to a wide variety of bibliometric indicators based on data generated by Elsevier's Scopus database. SciVal provides coverage for over 20,000 research institutions from 230 nations worldwide.
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Scopus (Elsevier): A comprehensive abstract and citation database that provides a platform for researchers, academics, and professionals to access a vast collection of scholarly literature across various disciplines. Developed by Elsevier, Scopus covers a wide range of subjects including science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities. It offers users an extensive repository of peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, patents, and other research-related content.
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Web of Science (Clarivate): A multidisciplinary academic database that provides access to an extensive collection of scholarly research literature. It encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Each of these platforms offers unique features and data sources, catering to different aspects of research intelligence and bibliometric analysis. For further support with using any of these platforms please contact us