Elsevier and University of Surrey Sign Access Agreement to SciVal Strata

AMSTERDAM, November 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –

University library introduces and promotes bibliometrics to help improve the

university’s research impact

Elsevier [http://www.elsevier.com ], a world-leading provider of scientific,
technical, and medical information products and services, and the University of Surrey,
U.K., have signed a three-year agreement for access to Elsevier’s research performance
benchmarking tool SciVal Strata.

The University of Surrey is one of the few universities in the United Kingdom with a
dedicated bibliometrician as part of its library staff. As a result, the role of the
library is taking on a new, innovative dimension by driving the use of bibliometrics to
help improve the institution’s overall research impact.

SciVal Strata, part of the SciVal suite, is a flexible benchmarking tool enabling
analyses of internal and external team and researcher performance which includes, among
others, productivity, citation history, and collaboration activity. Access to SciVal
Strata enables the university’s research faculty to benchmark their current performance
and illustrate their impact, in comparison to other institutions, which can in part, be
used to determine future research strategies.

“Our experiences with SciVal Strata have been very positive,” states Kate Price, Head
of E-Strategy and Resources of the University of Surrey Library. “On one hand it has
enough depth and flexibility to assess our current performance, but on the other hand the
interface is simple enough to use as an introduction to bibliometrics and impact
measurement for faculty and research staff. We have found that the impartiality of the
Library has greatly helped raise the positive perception of bibliometrics within the
institution.”

“The role of the librarian in spearheading the effort to introduce bibliometrics to
improve their research impact is significant,” said Niels Weertman, Vice President, SciVal
at Elsevier. “The deployment of SciVal Strata demonstrates yet another critical expert
advisory role played by the university’s library to drive improvements in their internal
processes that, ultimately, will help them maintain their leadership in cutting-edge
science.”

Recent enhancements to SciVal Strata developed in collaboration with Elsevier’s online
community of research administrators, have helped align the tool with the requirements set
by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and other guidelines. The Research Excellence
Framework in the UK uses Scopus as the data source for the bibliometric indicators, the
same data source that powers SciVal Strata.

About the University of Surrey

The University of Surrey [http://www.surrey.ac.uk ] is one of the UK’s leading
professional, scientific and technological universities with a world class research
profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Ground-breaking research
at the University is bringing direct benefit to all spheres of life – helping the industry
to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in the areas of health,
medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy.
Programmes in science and technology have gained widespread recognition and it also boasts
flourishing programmes in dance and music, social sciences, management and languages and
law. In addition to the campus on 150 hectares just outside Guildford, Surrey, the
University also owns and runs the Surrey Research Park, which provides facilities for 140
companies employing 2,700 staff.

About the Elsevier SciVal Suite

Elsevier’s SciVal(R) suite [http://www.info.scival.com/.. ] of services supports
academic and government leadership in evaluating, establishing and executing research
strategies that optimize the performance of existing assets and maximize investments to
enhance near and long-term productivity. SciVal tools leverage Scopus(R) data, Elsevier’s
trusted source of bibliometric data, to offer innovative yet authoritative solutions.
Current suite offerings include: SciVal Spotlight [http://www.info.scival.com/spotlight ],
a strategic tool that generates unique institutional and country maps of existing and
emerging research strengths based on an interdisciplinary perspective of current
performance; SciVal Funding [http://www.info.scival.com/funding ], an online solution that
provides targeted recommendations on grants to pursue based on pre-populated research
profiles and historical awards; SciVal Strata [http://www.info.scival.com/strata ], a
web-based research performance tool that offers users the flexibility to construct
relevant contextual data to evaluate research teams or individual researchers, using a
range of indicators based on Scopus data; SciVal Experts [
file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\boucheries\colledgel\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20In
ternet%20Files\Content.Outlook\E173T2G1\info.scival.com\experts ], a semantic
technology-based application that enables researchers to identify and locate sources of
expertise at an individual or departmental level within and across institutions.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information
products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health
communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet
[http://www.thelancet.com ] and Cell [http://www.cell.com ], and close to 20,000 book
titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online
solutions include ScienceDirect [http://www.sciencedirect.com ], Scopus
[http://www.scopus.com ], Reaxys [http://www.reaxys.com ], ClinicalKey
[http://www.clinicalkey.com ] and Mosby’s Nursing Suite [http://www.confidenceconnected.com
], which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal
suite [http://www.scival.com ] and MEDai’s Pinpoint Review [http://www.medai.com ], which
help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier [http://www.elsevier.com ]
employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC
[http://www.reedelsevier.com ], a world-leading publisher and information provider, which
is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN
(Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

        Media contact
        Iris Kisjes
        Elsevier
        +31-20-485-3072
        i.kisjes@elsevier.com

SOURCE Elsevier