~ Building a Future Benchmark of Research Metrics ~

IPSWICH, Mass.— August 8, 2016—The Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC) and Plum™ Analytics, an EBSCO company, have signed an agreement to build the ISTIC-EBSCO Joint Laboratory for Big Data Research and Discovery to promote the academic research of big data in China. Through this joint laboratory, both ISTIC and EBSCO can enhance academic communication and technology cooperation, as well as develop the basic concepts and technology practices of big data research and discovery.

The joint laboratory will provide Chinese researchers with a platform for academic communication and research collaboration, including vast research sources and a discovery service, and tools for analyzing scientific big data, and research funding. ISTIC approved PlumX to measure, monitor and quantify the digital footprint of research, presenting valuable altmetrics of immediate and long-term use of and interest in research. These altmetrics augment standard academic citations to provide an up-to-date, wide-spectrum view of how research is being used. ITSIC is seeking to speed the process of measuring academic research interest, which, among other benefits, may translate research into commercial success faster.

The joint laboratory project expands the long-standing relationship between EBSCO, one of the leading information providers in the world, and ISTIC. More than 300 databases and a discovery service from EBSCO will be included in the joint laboratory. With this vast amount of data, the joint laboratory can analyze user-specific inquiries from different disciplines, geographical differences, searching behaviors and more.  The enriched data surrounding research, such as social media, academic communications, bookmarking, sharing and access, enhance the user discovery service experience and improve the assessment process of big data research. The creators of the joint laboratory believe that the PlumX altmetrics are particularly valuable in discovering both interest and patterns surrounding or adjacent to research.

ISTIC and EBSCO have developed this project to support national science and technology funding, identify priority areas, discover potential talents and identify potential collaborations for future user studies.

About the Institute of Science and Technical Information of China (ISTIC)
The Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC) was founded in October, 1956 under an initiative proposed by the then senior state leaders, including the late Premier Zhou Enlai and the late Marshal Nie Rongzhen. As a national research and service institute subordinated to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), ISTIC is designed to provide decision making support to the government agencies that take care of S&T activities in the country, in addition to its mandate of providing comprehensive information services to industry, universities, research institutes, and research personnel. As of March 2011, ISTIC had a staff team of 571 people, working for 7 functional divisions, 6 public good departments, and 3 enterprises. It has become a management and service center, an academic center, a training center, and an R&D and diffusion center in the area of information technology. It functions as a major pillar in the national science and technology innovation system, providing guidance to S&T activities and staging demonstrations for the same purpose.

About Plum™ Analytics
Plum Analytics is a pioneer in the field of altmetrics, revealing research interest and usage beyond traditional measures. The company helps individuals and organizations that use, fund, support, perform, publish or analyze research obtain a broad-spectrum view of interest and usage in research through both immediate and historical perspectives. Plum Analytics gathers metrics about research from dozens of scholarly sources, media channels and social media tools, and categorizes them into Usage, Captures, Mentions, Social Media and Citations. The complete PlumX Suite of five products delivers research output information based on the unique needs of each type of PlumX user. To learn more, visit http://www.plumanalytics.com.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 8,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 700,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.

For more information, please contact:

Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com