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Funding Data from Publication Acknowledgements: Coverage, Uses and Limitations

Author

Listed:
  • Nicola Grassano

    (SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom)

  • Daniele Rotolo

    (SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom)

  • Joshua Hutton

    (SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom)

  • Frederique Lang

    (SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom)

  • Michael M. Hopkins

    (SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom)

Abstract

This article contributes to the development of methods for analysing research funding systems by exploring the robustness and comparability of emerging approaches to generate funding landscapes useful for policy making. We use a novel dataset of manually extracted and coded data on the funding acknowledgements of 7,510 publications representing UK cancer research in the year 2011 and compare these `reference data' with funding data provided by Web of Science (WoS) and MEDLINE/PubMed. Findings show high recall (about 93%) of WoS funding data. By contrast, MEDLINE/PubMed data retrieved less than half of the UK cancer publications acknowledging at least one funder. Conversely, both databases have high precision (+90%): i.e. few cases of publications with no acknowledgement to funders are identi ed as having funding data. Nonetheless, funders acknowledged in UK cancer publications were not correctly listed by MEDLINE/PubMed and WoS in about 75% and 32% of the cases, respectively. `Reference data' on the UK cancer research funding system are then used as a case-study to demonstrate the utility of funding data for strategic intelligence applications (e.g. mapping of funding landscape, comparison of funders' research portfolios).

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Grassano & Daniele Rotolo & Joshua Hutton & Frederique Lang & Michael M. Hopkins, 2016. "Funding Data from Publication Acknowledgements: Coverage, Uses and Limitations," SPRU Working Paper Series 2016-08, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    • Handle: RePEc:sru:ssewps:2016-08
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