During 2011 the Library created a set of bibliometric tools to support the credible evaluation of research impact. These can be found here. Many staff have used the tools to add supporting detail to the descriptions of their Nominated Research Outputs and they make the task of tracking down citations of work quick and relatively simple. Staff who have used these tools in the past will note that "quick" versions have now been added to the list, which means that all potential sources of citations can be searched with a single click.

The bibliometric tools search the following sources -

- Web of Science
- Scopus
- Google Scholar
- Google Books

Many staff have found Google Scholar a fruitful source of citations and other metrics but should be aware that these data may lack credibility and should be replaced or supplemented by bibliometric counts from the formal databases whenever possible. LIBRARY STAFF ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST WITH LOCATION AND INTERPRETATION OF BIBLIOMETRIC EVIDENCE - email libcol@massey.ac.nz

Library staff will also be participating in the Engagement Sessions taking place in February and March - click here for details.

The higher citation pattern of journal articles that are freely accessible to all internet users (Open Access or OA) comparative to those whose use is restricted to members of institutions who pay a subscription is well known and even has its own name - the OA Advantage. It has often been suggested, however, that this was largely the result of selection bias, the tendency of authors to place their best work in institutional repositories. Now a study from the University of Quebec at Montreal has tested this theory by comparing "self-archived" articles with those that have been placed in repositories as a result of institutional mandate - the Queensland University of Technology, for example, requires all its research staff to place their published articles in QUT ePrints and a high rate of compliance is achieved.

The authors conclude that "the OA advantage is a statistically significant, independent positive in citations, even when we control the independent contributions of many other salient variables" and that this advantage is just as great for the mandated articles as those they are voluntarily contributed in institutions where this is not a requirement. Internationally about 15-20% of articles are being self-archived by their authors although this figure is much lower at Massey. Some confusion exists about the ability of authors to archive articles after they have assigned the copyright to publishers, but in fact most publishers allow for a version of the peer-reviewed item to be placed in a university repository like Massey Research Online.

Any citations of your work in 2011 will count towards its assessment in the 2012 PBRF round so there's no better time than now to submit your published articles. Email the library today to find out more. Read the full article here - Self-Selected or Mandated, Open Access Increases Citation Impact for Higher Quality Research

Two sessions of the Making Your Research Count workshop will be held on the Hokowhitu Campus on

Wednesday 2 December 10.00-12.30.
Wednesday 9 December 10.00-12.30.

These workshops have been held on all other campuses and are designed to provide researchers with skills to assist them in the new research environment.

Bookings to b.d.white@massey.ac.nz Please indicate which session you would like to attend.

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As a researcher your most important asset is your name. Names form the primary link between published works and their creators and are the key aspect of almost all referencing systems. The presence of your name on an article or book allows you to claim credit for the work and to any subsequent citations of it. But how good a job does your name really do in identifying you among the thousands of scholars out there? Do you have the same name as other researchers? Have you worked at a number of different institutions or used more than one form of your name?

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Additional sessions of Making Your Research Count have now been scheduled for the Wellington and Albany campuses.

Albany

Friday 16 October 9.00-11.30

Wellington

Tuesday 20 October 10.00-12.30

This is a hands-on course which will give you practical skills as well as an enhanced understanding of the publishing and citation nexus.

b.d.white@massey.ac.nz

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