Users Measuring Research Impact Can Use Single Sign On to Authenticate Through Shibboleth

IPSWICH, Mass.— May 28, 2014—Plum™ Analytics, which makes it possible to measure research impact more easily, announces that its product PlumX™, is now Shibboleth-enabled. This will allow those performing, funding or monitoring research to use a single sign-on to access the information about research impact. By allowing single sign-on, Plum Analytics, an EBSCO company, enables users easier access to the alternative metrics it provides from the authentication systems popular in academic institutions and corporate enterprises and ensures that only authorized users update researcher information.

PlumX is a research dashboard that harvests metrics from a wide variety of sources to provide information to help understand research impact. By carefully designing and developing the architecture, features and security, Plum Analytics delivers a product that large enterprises and institutions require. By using Shibboleth, PlumX is supporting the ways in which enterprises connect users to applications
The Shibboleth-enabled authorization also provides the identification process necessary to safeguard researchers’ profiles. By using this authentication method, PlumX knows who is using PlumX and allows for researchers to update their own profiles but not others. Likewise, other authorized users, such as a liaison librarian, can update specific researcher profiles, while preventing others from doing so.

PlumX, named Library Journal’s most ambitious database in 2013, gathers metrics across five categories—usage, mentions, captures, social media and citations. Metrics are gathered around what Plum Analytics calls artifacts—more than just the journal articles that a researcher authors. The information collected is presented in a variety of ways including data visualizations, dashboards, and widgets. Plum Analytics is the only company synthesizing this metrics data for custom analysis for each institution and for publishers.

“From the start, we wanted to build a product that fulfills the needs of large institutions,” said Plum Analytics President Andrea Michalek. “Supporting Shibboleth in PlumX is one way we are doing this. Not only is Shibboleth the way many large enterprises connect their users to systems; we can also securely grant access to the right people to update the right profiles.”

For more information about PlumX and Plum Analytics, please visit: http://www.plumanalytics.com/

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