SciVal : getting started

This guide shows you how to access SciVal, gives a quick orientation of the modules, shows how to set up a researcher or group profile, and reminds the user about the responsible use of metrics

Accessing SciVal

Access to SciVal is available on and off campus (via VPN) at https://www.scival.com

The first time you use SciVal you will have to register a username and password, unless you already have access to other Elsevier sites (like Scopus or ScienceDirect). When registering use your institutional email address as the username, and create a unique password using a  mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers or special characters.

Modules 

SciVal is organised into 5 modules which can be accessed from the home page, or direct from the top navigation bar. Each module provides a different view of the data:

• Overview : provides a high-level review of available metrics
• Benchmarking : compare one entity with another
• Collaboration : show current and potential collaboration
• Trends : investigate research topics in depth
• Reporting : create customisable reports 

The information in each module can be filtered by date and entities. An entity can be an institution, researcher/s, publication sets, countries or topics. Each entity has to be created by the user, apart from the default which is the University of Edinburgh

Tips for using metrics

When using research metrics you should always bear in mind these three key points:

1. Try to use more than one metric to build up a richer picture : citation counts will only tell part of a story, but if you include the number of Outputs in Top Citation Percentiles you might start to get a better idea of an institutions research profile.
2. Normalise if you want to compare entities : try to base judgements on a level playing field so account for any differences in subject area, year of publication and document types.
3. When making decisions always use quantative metrics in combination with qualitative inputs, such as expert knowledge or peer review.

Training sessions

Please get in touch with the Scholarly Communications Team if you would like to arrange a training session on SciVal.

Quick User Guide

Getting started with SciVal (601.26 KB PDF)

Further Help and Support