ScienceWatch.com, from Thomson Reuters, uses citation information to tracks trends in scientific research. The site provides ranking information as well as interviews and analyses of new research. The site is only a few months old, and I expect more topics and articles will become available over time. Worth bookmarking and perusing every couple of weeks, this site classifies institutions, scientists, and disciplines. For example, an article on "The Most-Cited Institutions in Plant & Animal Science, 1997-2007" is featured for this month. Students interested in this topic might use an article such as this as a jumping off point for research into graduate schools or career opportunities. Classification is also done for emerging research, and excellent maps are generated to identify the top articles in the chosen topic. The image below is the map for Haplotype Tag SNPs. Article citation and author contact information is included in conjunction with the map, making these topics easy for students and faculty to explore.
Another great aspect of ScienceWatch is its analysis. Highly cited researchers are interviewed about their ongoing research and its impact on the field and related disciplines. Dr. Eric Herbst, a Distinguished University Professor in Physics, Astronomy, and Chemistry at The Ohio State University in Columbus, is April's interviewee. He discusses his work on the chemistry of interstellar molecules. Furthermore, analysis articles are written on chosen topics and related research articles are highlighted.
Finally, the site offers podcasts of interviews and discussions with numerous top scientists, such as
- Dr. Paula J. Reimer, Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology (GAP)
- Dr. Mark Newman, Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan
- Jacques Banchereau, Director of the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research in Dallas
- and many more from private companies and universities in various disciplines
