SciVal

SciVal Spotlight is a web-based tool that is designed to provide graphical views of research performance of an institution. Based on co-citation analysis, it visualizes research strengths across scientific fields, which helps an institution make informed decisions to evaluate, establish and execute institutional strategy. Through the interdisciplinary view of unique research strengths, SciVal Spotlight helps decision-makers assess which research areas to pursue, which institutions can be potential collaborators, which researchers to retain or recruit, and how best to allocate their internal budget. SciVal Spotlight country maps allow users to visualize research performance on a national level.

To ensure that your map represents the broadest coverage of research output, SciVal Spotlight relies upon Scopus^® as the underlying data source. Covering nearly 19,500 journals, Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of research literature.

Unlike traditional research output evaluation methods, co-citation analysis is performed at the article level, rather than the journal level. This allows SciVal Spotlight to map performance at an interdisciplinary level.

With journal-level classification, each scientific journal is classified into a major field, despite the fact that journals are progressively covering a wider array of disciplines and topics that are not properly reflected in their field categorization.

Learn more about co-citation analysis
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Learn more about the distinctive and emerging research competencies revealed in SciVal Spotlight maps
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Analyzing papers from nearly 19,500 peer-reviewed journals from over 5,000 publishers worldwide, SciVal Spotlight uniquely identifies and visualizes a university's research strengths, and there are a variety of ways a decision-maker may use Spotlight as a guide.

SciVal Spotlight helps research leaders:

• Determine how best to allocate scarce resources and reduce organizational inefficiencies
• Identify which research areas are growing, and where they have a chance to become the leader, or areas researchers are moving away from so they may proactively reallocate resources
• Determine with whom to encourage national or international collaboration
• Find researchers from outside the country or institution whom they may want to consider for recruitment or review
• Identify up-and-coming researchers within the institution that should be targeted for retention

Overall, SciVal Spotlight can help inform decision-making to drive research vision. For more information, consult the Perspectives Series.

SciVal Spotlight is based on Scopus, the world’s largest abstract and citation database. With more than 19,500 peer-reviewed journals from over 5,000 publishers worldwide and 46 million records, Scopus provides the most comprehensive resource in the industry, supporting the needs of researchers in the scientific, technical, medical and social sciences fields and, more recently, the arts and humanities.

SciVal Spotlight incorporates 'current articles' (publications from the past 5 years) as well as highly-cited references from the map year.
 
For example, a 2010 map would include:

• Articles published in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
• The highly-cited references used in 2010. 

Yes, maps of other institutions can be purchased for an additional subscription fee.  Country maps, which reveal research strengths of institutions at a national level, are also available.

Yes, you can read how Tohoku University has used SciVal Spotlight as a way to distribute funds to research teams.

Read the case study >>>

SciVal Spotlight delivers an objective, interdisciplinary understanding of institutional and (inter)national research performance. Here are statements from senior leadership on their institutions’ specific needs.

First things first, we need a quick and efficient way of understanding the research strengths of our institution, country, and competitor, in order to evaluate, establish, and execute our institutional strategy. 
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Office of Research

Pinpointing new interdisciplinary themes is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We need to take the guesswork out of it.
Director, Office for Research

We need to understand the potential collaborators within our areas of expertise, in addition to the current existing collaborating authors and institutions, with supporting data. 
Vice President of Research

We need reliable support to help us make smarter, defendable decisions about allocating internal funding.
Vice Chancellor for Research

We need some support to understand which of our research strengths contribute to the national strengths, which then have stronger chances of attaining grants. 
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation

Find out how SciVal Spotlight helps provide the answers >>>