The hidden problem in research information
Author disambiguation sits behind almost every system that organizes research around people. It determines which publications appear on a researcher’s profile and influences institutional reporting, research evaluation, collaboration analysis and research integrity workflows.
When it goes wrong, the errors are not always obvious. One profile may combine the work of several people, while another researcher’s work may be divided across multiple identities. These inaccuracies can then move between systems, leaving institutions to determine which author-publication links can be trusted.
In this webinar, Simon Porter will present new research comparing author identity data from Dimensions and OpenAlex with curated institutional records from 30 universities. He will explain the study’s reproducible methodology, examine patterns of merged and fragmented author profiles and introduce the concept of “integration cost”: the additional checking and correction required before external data can be used with confidence.
Kate Byrne will then provide a first look at the upcoming author disambiguation update in Dimensions, including the work behind the improvements and what more accurate researcher profiles will mean for data and workflows across Dimensions, Altmetric and Symplectic Elements.
Together, Kate and Simon will consider a broader question for institutions evaluating scholarly data: beyond coverage and accessibility, how should we assess whether author identity data is reliable enough for the decisions we want to make with it?
What you’ll learn
- Why author disambiguation is foundational to reliable research information
- How merged and fragmented profiles affect institutional systems and analysis
- How Dimensions and OpenAlex author data compare with curated university records
- How institutions can assess the hidden integration cost of a scholarly data source
- What is changing in Dimensions and how the update will improve connected workflows
Join us to explore what it takes to trust the author data behind your research systems. Register now!
Speakers
Kate Byrne
VP Product Management | Digital Science
Simon Porter
VP Research Futures | Digital Science