Research networking (RN) is about using tools to identify, locate and use research and scholarly information about people and resources. Research networking tools (RN tools) serve as knowledge management systems for the research enterprise. RN tools connect institution-level/enterprise systems, national research networks, publicly available research data (e.g., grants and publications), and restricted/proprietary data by harvesting information from disparate sources into compiled profiles for faculty, investigators, scholars, clinicians, community partners and facilities. RN tools facilitate collaboration and team science to address research challenges through the rapid discovery and recommendation of researchers, expertise and resources.

Use RN tools differ from search engines like Google in that RN tools access information in databases and other data not limited to web pages. They also differ from social networking systems in that they represent a compendium of data ingested from authoritative and verifiable sources rather than predominantly individually-posted information, making RN tools more reliable. Yet, RN tools have sufficient flexibility to allow for profile editing. RN tools provide resources to bolster human connections: they can make non-intuitive matches, do not depend on serendipity and do not have a propensity to return only to previously identified collaborations/collaborators. RN tools generally have associated analytical capabilities that enable evaluation of collaboration and cross-disciplinary research/scholarly activity, especially over time.

RN tools and research profiling systems can help researchers gain recognition. Active promotion of scholarship is an aspect of the publication cycle. Commercial and non-profit services help researchers increase visibility and recognition. Digital researcher services enhance discoverability, shareability and citability of scholarship. According to Shanks and Arlitsch, digital researcher services fall into three categories: Author/Researcher Identification—these services provide infrastructure that may be used in the other two categories, such as unique identifiers and name disambiguation. Academic and Professional Networking—most succinctly described as "social networking for academics," these services focus on connecting users based on research interest, affiliation, geography or other variables. Reference and Citation Management—these tools and services include some of the functionality and features of other categories, although their primary focus is on management of citations that a researcher compiles for use within a publication or for sharing with other researchers.

Importantly, data harvested into RN tools can be repurposed, especially if available as Linked Open Data (RDF triples). These RN tools enhance research support activities by providing data for customized, web pages, CV/biosketch generation and data tables for grant proposals.

General

+GeneralResearch Networking Tool Product Reference Developer/Owner Open source Adopters AcademicLabs AcademicLabs Top pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, academics from hundreds of universities, worldwide. Activity Insight Digital Measures Hundreds of major research institutions around the world C-IKNOW Science of Networks in Communities (SONIC) - Northwestern University National Cancer Institute, National Science Foundation PROFILES by Mentis (formerly Collaborative Partnership / Profile System) Inknowledge, Inc (previously University of Texas at Arlington) (Profiles is available in a free forever plan) UT Arlington, UT Pan American, University of North Texas Health Science Center, UT El Paso, UT San Antonio, UT Tyler, UT Health Science Center, University of North Texas (formerly), UT Dallas, UT Health Center at Tyler, Texas Christian University, Gulf Coast Consortia: Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine and several others Community Academic Profiles - CAP Stanford University Stanford University Converis Clarivate Analytics Several universities, governments and funders across North and South America, Europe, Middle East, North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa and Asia. Curvita Profile Manager SciMed Solutions University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, Duke University CUSP - Columbia University Scientific ProfilesCUSP Columbia University Columbia University Digital Vita Center for Dental Informatics - University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh, Pitt Health Sciences Center DimensionsDigital ScienceNoUniversity of Michigan, University of Massachusetts - Lowell, University of California San Diego. Elsevier's Pure Elsevier 250 implementations worldwide containing profiles for over 185,000 researcher profiles. Elsevier's SciVal Elsevier Over 200 adopters worldwide Epernicus Solutions & Epernicus Network Epernicus (but Epernicus Network is free to use) Harvard, MIT, Indiana University, Stanford, University of California Berkeley (but not exclusively) Epistemio Epistemio N/A (platform is directed toward individual researcher use) ERIM Member Profile System (ERIM MIS) Erasmus Research Institute of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands Erasmus University Esploro Ex Libris > 10 in early adopter program; Ex-Libris has a large presence in the higher Education community EUREKA! Enhancing Student Research University of Texas at Austin (UTA) University of Texas at Austin Expertise @ Maryland University of Maryland (will be) University of Maryland College Park Faculty Profile System University of California Irvine UC Irvine Faculty Profiles System Stony Brook University Stony Brook University Faculty Research Information Profile (FRIP) University of Pittsburgh N/A (formerly) University of Pittsburgh Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index Academic Analytics, LLC Unknown Faculty180 Interfolio Institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada. GENIUS InfoEd Global Many Big Ten/CIC institutions Google Google (but anyone can access Google) Anyone can access HUBzero Purdue University Indiana CTSI, Indiana University, Purdue University, Notre Dame iamResearcher University of Southampton, UK Unknown N/A (platform is directed toward individual researcher use) iAMscientist iAMscientist.inc Unknown i2iConnect Indiana University (but original software from ThemesJoomla is) N/A (platform is directed toward individual researcher use) InCites Clarivate Analytics Unknown INDURE (Indiana Database for University Research Expertise) Indiana University / Purdue University Ball State, Indiana University, Purdue University, University of Notre Dame IRIS (Institutional Research Information System) CINECA (will be in CERIF mode in first half of 2016) 60 universities KnodeKnode Knode Multiple, anyone can use, collaborating with VIVO and UCSFThe LensCambia (but free to use and API available)Researcher, Universities, Research institutes, Patent Offices Lattes Platform CNPq - Brazil Unknown N/A (Platform is directed toward individual researcher use in Brazil) LatticeGridKibbe, W. (2010). LatticeGridLatticeGrid public Wiki Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) - Biomedical Informatics Center (NUBIC) Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine & Cancer Center, UCSF Cancer Center, Fox Chase Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Case Western University LinkedIn LinkedIn (but LinkedIn is free to use) N/A (Platform is directed toward individual researcher use. Millions of users are registered globally.) Scipinion SciPinion (SciPinion is free to use and access) Platform is for individual researcher use. Researches can participate in polls, ask/answer questions, and apply for paid peer review. Life Science Network Life Science Network gGmbH (upon request) Anyone can use. Loki University of Iowa University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational ScienceLyteratiLyteratiEntigence CorporationEntigence CorporationGeorge Washington University, The New School, Lehigh University McCormick Collaboration Visualization ToolCollaboration at McCormick Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University MendeleyElsevier Anyone can use MizzouLinks University of Missouri Unknown University of Missouri MyScienceWork Unknown (but anyone can register and use the network) Anyone can register and use. The network is directed at the individual researcher OSU:pro Ohio State University (but can be licensed) Ohio State University Pivot ProQuest, LLC 100 university campuses and research organizations globallyPortfolio & Showroom University of Applied Arts Vienna (Apache License) University of Applied Arts Vienna, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Bertha von Suttner Privatuniversität, Catholic Private University of Linz, Mozarteum University Salzburg (testing) Profiles Research Networking Software Harvard University (BSD license) Harvard, UCSF, and many others REACH NC Life Science Experts Visualization Tool RENCI (Renaissance Computing Institute, a collaboration between University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and North Carolina State University) Duke Research Triangle Institute, University of North Carolina General Administration (but free to the public) Appalachian State University Duke University East Carolina University Elizabeth City State University Fayetteville State University NC A&T North Carolina Central University North Carolina State University RTI International UNC-Asheville University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC-Charlotte UNC-Greensboro UNC-Pembroke UNC-Wilmington Western Carolina University Winston-Salem State University Research Accelerator ResearchAccelerator.org Unknown Yale University ResearcherID Clarivate Analytics (but ResearcherID network is free to access and use by individual users) N/A (Platform is directed toward individual researcher use) ScholarBridgeScholarBridge ScholarBridge LLC 14 university members and free access for any individual student or researcher SciENcv A pilot program sponsored by the Federal Demonstration PartnershipFederal Demonstration Partnership and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) supported by the STAR METRICS program Sponsored by the Federal Demonstration Partnership and the NSTC's interagency groups: Research Business Model (RBM) and Science of Science Policy (SoSP) Symplectic ElementsDigital Science (However, an open source is available.) 115+ major research institutions around the world, including the University of Cambridge (UK), University of Oxford (UK), University of Melbourne (AUS), Duke University (US), University of Auckland (NZ), Tufts University (US), and University of Michigan (US). UNIWebProximify University of Ottawa, McGill University, Dalhousie University, University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, École de technologie supérieure, CIMVHR VIVO Brooks E, Case C, Corson-Rikert J, et al. (2010). National VIVO network: Implementation plan Retrieved 2012-01-24. Lyrasis Cornell University, University of Florida, Washington University in St. Louis, Weill Cornell Medical College, Indiana University, Ponce School of Medicine, Scripps Research Institute, Duke University, University of Colorado at Boulder, Northwestern University, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Melbourne, Griffith University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, etc. There are currently over 140 VIVO implementations in the United States and international VIVO projects in over 25 countries. WorkWebColumbia UniversityColumbia University Yaffle Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland

Data sources, ingest and export formats

This table provides information on the types of data used in each RN tool and how this data is ingested, along with data export formats (e.g., XML, RDF, RIS, PDF)