Library Research News: October 2024 Edition
In this issue:
- Exploring open bibliometric databases OpenAlex & The Lens
- Updates to Research Metrics Dashboard
- Reminder: Open Access Week is coming!
- New issue of Papers, a Deakin-hosted OA journal
- Hot tip: Use LibKey Nomad for instant access to online resources
- Upcoming events
Exploring open bibliometric databases OpenAlex & The Lens
The library is currently assessing bibliographic databases to identify duplication and explore open alternatives as part of a subscription resources review. In this article, we explore OpenAlex and Lens.org, two open and freely available databases that provide bibliometric information about published research. We want researchers to know that there are options beyond Scopus, Web of Science, SciVal and InCites and that relying on a single source has limitations. We encourage you to explore these open alternatives and consider how they might support your research.
OpenAlex
OpenAlex is an open catalogue named after the ancient Library of Alexandria. OpenAlex has an index of 250+ million works sourced from 250,000 journals, books and conference papers. The data is freely reusable under a CC0 licence, which means that anyone can use, share and build on it without any restrictions or need for permission. Beyond access, OpenAlex provides detailed author profiles and analyses publication impact, helping users gauge the influence of their work. To explore an example of an author profile in OpenAlex, see Prof Peter Enticott’s profile.
The Lens
The Lens integrates scholarly works with patent data. The platform offers advanced search and analysis tools so users can explore trends, track citations and visualise data. All data on The Lens is freely accessible. Like OpenAlex, The Lens offers author profiles and publication impact analysis. For an example of an author profile in The Lens, see Prof Peter Enticott’s profile.
Database comparison
Open databases and subscription databases can be compared by cost, disciplinary coverage, and functionality.
Cost
The financial implications of database subscriptions are significant. According to the Academic Library Pricing Dataset, costs for databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, and SciFinder Scholar have risen substantially from 2018 to 2024. In contrast, open databases like OpenAlex and The Lens offer their services free of charge, presenting a potential for significant savings.
Disciplinary coverage
Disciplinary coverage refers to the range of journals across various fields included in a database. Recently, Scopus has been criticised for its inadequate coverage in some disciplinary areas. Preliminary investigations suggest that open databases may offer broader coverage in some areas compared to their subscription-based counterparts.
Functionality
Functionality refers to features that enhance the user experience and the utility of the data, such as citation tracking and institutional performance reporting. Subscription databases currently perform better than open alternatives in terms of functionality. Ongoing improvements and collaborations, like a partnership between SCImago Lab and The Lens, suggest that this gap may be addressed soon.
Summary
Open databases are emerging as strong alternatives to traditional subscription-based platforms. Deakin researchers should know that relying solely on Scopus or Web of Science has limitations, and the library is exploring open tools to support open scholarship and improve value for investment. We encourage researchers to explore open databases such as OpenAlex and Lens.org to see how they can enhance their research. Researchers can find 140+ other open access databases, including disciplinary-specific options, in Deakin’s A-Z Databases.
Please contact your librarian with all queries about database searching or explore these library resource guides:
Updates to Research Metrics Dashboard
The library is pleased to share news of several improvements to the Research Metrics Dashboard, a self-serve tool that provides researchers with a summary report of research publications and metrics. We have recently made several upgrades to the platform, including:
- Graduate Research Student access granted: In response to feedback, Graduate Research Students (HDRs) now have access to the Research Metrics Dashboard. Previously, only staff could access this tool, and we’re excited to extend this resource to the broader research community.
- Year Range options in SciVal section: The SciVal benchmarking section now includes the ability to select a year range of three, five or 10 years for analysis. This feature provides users with greater flexibility in tracking research trends over various time periods. Please note that the Summary section is based on five-year data.
- Field-Weighted citation percentile: Users now have the option to display the number of Outputs in top Field-Weighted Citation Percentiles, offering a more detailed understanding of how their citations compare to the global research landscape within specific fields. To see the field-weighted data, toggle the button in the citation percentile box to purple.
The Research Metrics Dashboard was developed by the library in 2023 to support Deakin researchers in demonstrating their research impact and includes both bibliometrics (traditional citation-based metrics) and altmetrics (non-traditional bibliometrics such as policy, media and social media mentions). For more information about bibliometrics and altmetrics, please visit Research Metrics Toolkit: Information about Metrics.
The library endorses the responsible use of metrics; it is important to note that the use of research metrics is only one approach to assessing the quality and impact of research. Please contact your librarian with all queries about the Research Metrics Dashboard.
Reminder: Open Access Week is coming!
The library is counting down the days to Open Access Week 2024. We look forward to engaging with the research community at a range of exciting events over the week of 21–25 October.
Explore our program
- On Monday 21 October, our slate of events kicks off with a thought-provoking keynote address by the amazing Dr Danny Kingsley, an internationally recognised champion of open access, who will trace the evolution of open access, its current state and the future potential of this movement. Read more and register
- On Tuesday 22 October, Dr Kingsley will lead a panel of Deakin researchers, including Kathryn Aston-Mourney, Jeanette Fyffe, Sally McArthur and Carly Sawatzki, who will consider why open scholarship should be prioritised, how open scholarship serves the best interests of the public and academic community, as well as what needs to change to address significant issues in the current landscape of scholarly publishing. Read more and register
- On Thursday 24 October, join us for a lively, insightful and fundebate (think pub trivia meets high school debate team) to cheer on two teams who will debate: what if there was no copyright in scholarly works? Read more and register
- Keen to do more than watch? We are still looking for volunteers to join the debate teams: Join the Library Debate Team for Open Access Week.
- We will close out OA week on Friday 25 October with a celebration of Open Practice, including the launch of a new Open Education Resource (OER), Communication Concepts and networking opportunities. Read more and register
New issue of Papers, a Deakin-hosted OA journal
We are pleased to share that Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature has released a new Special Issue: ‘Owning Our Voices’. Papers is a free, diamond open-access online journal publishing leading edge critical research into children’s literature. It is the official scholarly publication of the Australasian Children’s Literature Association for Research (ACLAR) with hosting supported by Open Journals at Deakin.
Hot tip: Use LibKey Nomad for instant access to online resources
Did you know the library offers a simple tool to bypass paywalls and logins for scholarly resources? LibKey Nomad connects you to journal articles Deakin Library subscribes to, working securely with your Deakin authentication. It automatically determines the fastest path to content across millions of articles and adds enhanced linking to sites like Google Scholar, PubMed, Wikipedia and more.
Install the browser extension from the links below or through your browser’s extension catalogue, then choose Deakin University from the list when prompted.
For more information, see Connect to journal articles using LibKey Nomad.
Upcoming events
There is one remaining workshop for HDR students (part of Deakin’s PhD Xtra program) this year:
- Responsible Use of GenAI in Research Thursday 24 October, 10am–12pm
And don’t forget to register for our International Open Access Week sessions taking place between Monday 21 October and Friday October 24.
- Keynote: Community over commercialisation Monday 21 October, 11am–12pm (Burwood campus and online)
- Panel discussion: Community over commercialisation Tuesday 22 October, 12.30–1.30pm (online)
- The Great Copyright Debate: What if there was no copyright in scholarly works? (a thought experiment) Thursday 24 October, 3–4.30pm (Burwood campus)
- Beyond OER: Open Education Practices and Equity for all Friday 25 October, 3.30–4.30pm (Deakin Downtown and online)
Details for all upcoming library events will be made available on the Library events page.
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Library Research News is a regular publication from the library, publishing library-related news for Deakin researchers. To stay in the loop, please subscribe to Article or access our latest issue via Research Matters.
To access library research services, please contact your librarian or navigate to Research via the library website. The library’s team of Scholarly Services Librarians bring discipline-specific expertise related to the following key areas:
- expert searching
- research data management
- Copyright for research
- publishing and open access
- research outputs stewardship
- research metrics.