Distinct Author Identification System

 

Q: What is the Distinct Author Identification System?

A: This new feature uses a proprietary algorithm based on citation patterns to group articles that we identify as being written by the same author into Distinct Author clusters. By combining factors such as author name and citation history, articles which are most likely from a different author with a similar name are filtered out.

Q: How do I find Distinct Author clusters?

A: You will see Distinct Author clusters when performing a one-click search from a full record in Web of Science by clicking on an author.

Q: Why does a one-click author search sometimes take me to a Results Summary page instead of the Distinct Author Summary page?

A: Distinct Author clustering is being applied to Web of Science in an iterative fashion, beginning with authors derived from the ISI Highly Cited Researcher database. If an author has been clustered, you will see the Distinct Author Summary page; if the author has not yet been clustered, you will see the usual Results Summary page. We will be continually expanding the Distinct Author Identification System to eventually cover the entire Web of Science.

Q: What is the accuracy of the Distinct Author Identification System in creating clusters?

A: There is a very high probability that all articles in a cluster are authored by the same person. By contrast, a Web of Science search by Author may return articles by different authors with the same name. The Distinct Author algorithm is designed to provide an optimal balance of identifying Distinct Authors while keeping the number of clusters for any Distinct Author to a manageable minimum. You always have the option of viewing all author results, not just the Distinct Author cluster you are viewing, from the Distinct Author Summary page by clicking on the “Show all results for this author name” link.

Q: Does this explain why a Distinct Author’s articles may not appear in an expected cluster?

A: Yes, there will be occasions when articles are excluded from the expected cluster because not all of the algorithm’s criteria have been met. An author may be represented by several clusters due to many factors - they may have changed location, started working with different subject matter, or begun citing different bodies of work. Clicking the name of an author in one article may lead to one Distinct Author cluster, while clicking on the same author in a different article may lead to a different Distinct Author cluster. Additionally, an article may not belong to any cluster because it does not meet some of the algorithm’s criteria, or because it has not yet been processed by the Distinct Author Identification System.

Q: Can I save the Distinct Author query to my Search History?

A: Yes, any Distinct Author cluster is part of your Search History. You can also set up an Alert for the Distinct Author cluster, so you will be alerted whenever an article has been added to this cluster.

Q: I do not see any of my 2007 papers. Where are they?

A: The Distinct Author Identification System has been applied on Web of Science data from 1900 – mid 2006. We are currently working on processing the remaining 2006 and 2007 data.

Q: Why haven’t my clusters been updated? I have sent you feedback!

A: We are currently reviewing all of the feedback that we have received and how it would apply to the Distinct Author system. At present, we are unable to give you a date of when your feedback will actually be incorporated. We apologize for this delay but we appreciate your feedback and assure you it is in process.