ScienceDirect Upgrade to Boost Researcher Produ...

AMSTERDAM, April 14 /PRNewswire/ --

    - New and Forthcoming Enhancements Designed to Optimize Research 
Workflows



    Elsevier, a leading publisher of Scientific, technical and medical (STM)
information, today announced that new intuitive reference and navigational
features have been added to its online STM platform, ScienceDirect. The new
features, which were developed in cooperation with researchers, deliver
clearer results with fewer clicks. Additionally, researcher comments and
ratings from 2collab, Elsevier's free Web-based collaborative platform, will
be integrated with the articles in ScienceDirect. With this upgrade
researchers will experience a boost in productivity and a faster and more
seamless research process.



Navigational Improvements

    Researchers typically want to evaluate the relevance of an
article without reading through it, and they do so by using the article
abstract, figures/graphs and references. To speed up this process,
ScienceDirect now offers preview tabs - on the results page or table of
contents page - that facilitate one-click access to these components, without
the page reloading, enabling a seamless and simple research process.



    An article toolbox also improves navigation by bringing together
all of the article-related functionality including "Cited By", "E-mail
Article" and more, into one easy-to-find location. The toolbox will save time
and help customers easily find the tools they need.



Inline reference preview

    Researchers can now view reference information when their cursor
moves over a reference marker in the body of an article. The information
shown includes links to the referenced articles (if available). Researchers
will be able to view or download the referenced paper immediately if they
wish. Previously, reference information was only available at the foot of the
article page.



Results filtering

    A new navigation pane on the left of the screen allows researchers to
search within results and refine results using four filters: "content type";
"source title", "date" and "topics". By enabling filtering users can refine
their search results without having to return to the search form.



Social Media Integration for Improved Collaboration

    ScienceDirect will also make it easier for researchers to share and
evaluate papers with peers and colleagues by using Elsevier's online
collaboration platform, 2collab (http://www.2collab.com). Subject to a phased
release over the coming months, the integration of 2collab will let
researchers easily share, discuss and rate article bookmarks to articles and
organize articles by adding tags. The comments, ratings and tags that
researchers add to articles will be included on each article page in
ScienceDirect. This will allow users to post immediate feedback on articles
and instantly start global discussions with their peers.



    "The new features are part of our ongoing efforts to improve
researcher workflows and help them to conduct their research in a faster,
more productive manner," said Jay Katzen, Managing Director, Academic and
Government Products, Science and Technology Division, Elsevier. "Extensive
user testing showed that as research platforms become more efficient,
research output is greatly increased and more breakthroughs occur."



    ScienceDirect is always striving to add functionalities that help
customers research more efficiently and find their desired search results
faster. For more information on ScienceDirect, please visit
http://www.info.sciencedirect.com.



About ScienceDirect

    Over a quarter of the world's full-text scientific, technical and medical
(STM) articles - managed by renowned editors, written by respected authors
and read by researchers from around the globe - are available in one place:
ScienceDirect.



    Elsevier's extensive and unique full-text collection covers authoritative
titles from the core scientific literature including high impact factor
titles such as THE LANCET, Cell and Tetrahedron. Almost nine million articles
are available online, including Articles in Press which offer rapid access to
recently accepted manuscripts. The critical mass of information available on
ScienceDirect is unsurpassed. Coverage includes over 2,500 journals published
by Elsevier and dynamic linking to journals from approximately 2,000 STM
publishers through CrossRef. An expanding program of online major reference
works, handbooks, book series and eBooks in all fields of science seamlessly
interlinks with primary research referenced in journal articles.



About Elsevier

    Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and
medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the
global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70
offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per
year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such
as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), MD Consult (
http://www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com/),
bibliographic databases, and online reference works.



    Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) is a global business headquartered in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of
Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/), a world-leading
publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical,
legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides
high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing
emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker
symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and
ENL (New York Stock Exchange).



    
    Lauren Hillman
    [phone], ext. 117
    [e-mail]