STM publisher Elsevier, Netherlands, has announced that the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has opted to use its Scopus search Application Programming Interface (API) technology. HKU will use Scopus to continuously update its institutional repository and expert profiling system with information on where and how often researchers are being cited.
The Scopus API is projected to allow users to creatively interact with Scopus data by building mashups. It also allows access and usage of Scopus data inside and outside of the traditional library domain through applications based on the API. According to the company, the API returns Scopus data in a format that easily integrates into an application or a website. The majority of Scopus data is already available through the API, which can currently be used to request very specific information about article references, citations and affiliations.
HKU shows Scopus h-index, and counts of citations, documents and co-authors for each current HKU author across the institution, in its local institutional repository, The HKU Scholars Hub (The Hub). These details are shown on The Hub ResearcherPages, an expert profiling system which showcases the research of each current HKU author. HKU uses the Scopus API to build these pages and update them in real time.
The Scopus search API draws on live data from Scopus, an abstract and citation database. By using the API, HKU is able to populate The Hub with real-time Scopus information, increasing accuracy and enriching data with citation information. The API is also seen to enable HKU to highlight its overall performance and automate the process of keeping faculty publication lists up to date through continuous electronic tracking of individual researcher output. Research metrics cumulated by paper and by author are brought seamlessly into The Hub and displayed on appropriate records. This flexibility is a result of a recent enhancement to the Scopus API which allows for easier and more scalable ways of implementing citation counts to instantly enrich the content available on a given platform.
HKU plans to further enhance ResearcherPages to display other output and citation details and expects there will be new opportunities to leverage the results in key activities such as the grant application process. It is also using the additional bibliometric data from Scopus and others to prepare for an impending Research Assessment Exercise.
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