Editors use Scopus to search for author information and to gain insight into all of a scientist’s relevant publishing activities. The unique algorithms in the system allow for targeted searching and accurate results, including citation data and co-author information. But did you know that this comprehensive tool also offers assistance with the (often difficult and time-consuming) search for reviewers? We spoke with Fabian Kersten and Ulrika Honée-Nordlof, both Solutions Marketing Managers for Scopus, to find out more about how Scopus can help.

“The same tools that can help editors locate information about authors can aid in the search for appropriate reviewers,” Kersten explains. “The content and technology that give Scopus such a powerful advantage can carry over to more targeted reviewer searches, as well.”

Honée-Nordlof agrees. “Since Scopus is a tool designed to provide accurate, complete author information, it’s a logical step to use it for reviewer searching, since the two communities overlap significantly,” she says.

Using Author Identifier
Scopus has the capability to sort through massive amounts of information and distinguish one scientist from another – even if they have the same name – by matching subject areas, publication and citation information, and filtering it all down into relevant search results. The tool identifies author profile information including h-index, co-author information and the complete citation list for a particular author.

“Clearly, this functionality can help streamline reviewer searching by identifying everything a specific author has written, and all related data, such as conferences attended, and other relevant details,” Kersten says. “In this way, editors can find reviewers that are focused on specific subjects. Scopus can also help editors identify the authors on the leading edge of current research, and broaden their reviewer ‘pool’ by gaining information about co-authors.”

The scope of Scopus
In addition, Scopus can also be used for a keyword search, limiting to a specific subject area from start. Honée-Nordlof explains: “Doing a search within a specific subject area and refining the search, editors can narrow down and identify any and all authors who have been publishing within a specific subject for example, thereby giving editors an accurate list of the most influential publications and their authors in the field. That means editors can find the newest authors working on cutting-edge research. The technology Scopus uses also allows users to sort search results by citation counts or latest publication. This, again, increases editors’ likelihood of identifying the most appropriate – and timely – reviewers.”

Scopus includes titles from over 5000 publishers and can be linked with other relevant content resources that an institution subscribes to, and integrates full text articles, Scirus search results, web resources and patent information, so editors can streamline their searches to a single attempt, instead of needing to search on each individual channel. “Our editors can save time by conducting simple searches for reviewers,” Kersten explains.

Finding the connections
Another Scopus feature that can help identify appropriate reviewers is the Affiliation Identifier. “With the Affiliation Identifier, administrators within an institution can view the research output of their institution and search the performance of specific authors, thereby identifying the most prolific authors within an institution,” Kersten explains.

In this way, the Affiliation Identifier can help bring ‘unknown’ researchers to the forefront, thereby increasing the reviewer pool even further. “For example, if you know a certain university or institution is strong in a particular subject area, you can make connections between that subject area, and the scientists and researchers who are working in it. An editor’s own knowledge of leading institutions will help them select the most appropriate reviewer candidates,” Honée-Nordlof explains.

Analyzing for resources
Editors can even use Journal Analyzer to identify other reviewing resources. By obtaining information about journal performance, and how other journals rank as compared to the editors’ own journal. Journals ranked higher than the editors’ own may offer valuable insights. “Editors who take the time to track and compare their journal to their competitors may find additional support hidden in the results. It’s certainly worth the effort to see what’s possible,” says Kersten.

By analyzing data such as the trend line in the Journal analyzer and citations, editors have another resource for identifying the trends and developments in their field, and locating the hottest stars in that subject – while also increasing the scope for viable reviewers.

Looking forward with focus
In the future, developments will further focus on getting the most out of available content with even better tools. By improving author profiles and alerting services, editors will have further support in locating appropriate reviewers. Scopus’ highest priority to ensure that all author profiles and affiliations are kept up to date and provide the maximum level of accuracy, Kersten says. “This will ensure that search results will always contain the most complete, quality information,” he explains.

Alert functionality and search parameters already help deliver all relevant and accurate information straight to the editors’ mailboxes. “Editors can already set up specific alerts, which will deliver them any publishing information that matches search criteria based on author names, subject specific keyword or citations counts,” Honée-Nordlof says. “In the future, we’ll further refine these tools and expand on these services.”

To cite this article, please use: Toni Bellanca, “Scopus: Reaching out to reviewers”, Elsevier Editors’ Update, Issue 27, August 2009

Useful Links
  Scopus Author Identifier