Short abstract

Drawing from Elsevier-supported initiatives, we'll explore novel indicators and emerging datasets addressing components of the research ecosystem beyond publications, discuss challenges in accessing high-quality data, and highlight opportunities offered by LLMs and collaborative solutions.

Long abstract

Metascience aims to understand and explain phenomena across the research enterprise by developing tools for analysing the inputs, throughputs, outputs, and outcomes of research. This foundational work has paved the way for the emerging field of ‘applied metascience,’ which employs theoretical models and applied techniques - including indicators - for evaluative purposes. While significant strides have been made in understanding research outputs (such as publications and the citations that connect them), the field is now more intentionally addressing other components of the research ecosystem.

A persistent challenge is the availability of high-quality, comprehensive data. Even when data are available, a further challenge is making it useful through disambiguation, harmonisation, and linking to other data (including those held locally by individuals and institutions).

In this presentation, we will share examples from Elsevier-supported initiatives that leverage new and emerging datasets to advance metascience and its applications in evaluation. While these examples are seldom fully realized solutions, they serve as proof-of-concept illustrations of the ‘art of the possible’. We will focus on examples relating to the process in which research is done and the broader societal and economic impacts it has, and emphasize the complex challenges driven by real-world demands.

We will conclude by underscoring the necessity of collaborative efforts to tackle these ‘wicked problems’. By working together, we can address some of the most pressing issues facing the research community today.