Using Multipartite Graphs for Recommendation and Discovery

The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System exists at the nexus of a dense system of interacting and interlinked information networks. The syntactic and the semantic content of this multipartite graph structure can be combined to provide very specific research recommendations to the scientist/user.Comment: To appear in ADASS XIX, ASP Conf Pro

Bibliographic Classification using the ADS Databases

We discuss two techniques used to characterize bibliographic records based on their similarity to and relationship with the contents of the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) databases. The first method has been used to classify input text as being relevant to one or more subject areas based on an analysis of the frequency distribution of its individual words. The second method has been used to classify existing records as being relevant to one or more databases based on the distribution of the papers citing them. Both techniques have proven to be valuable tools in assigning new and existing bibliographic records to different disciplines within the ADS databases.Comment: Latex, 4 pages, 1 Figure. To be published in the Proceedings of the Conference "Astronomical Data Analysis Software & Systems XV" held October 2-5, 2005, in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spai

Data in the ADS -- Understanding How to Use it Better

The Smithsonian/NASA ADS Abstract Service contains a wealth of data for astronomers and librarians alike, yet the vast majority of usage consists of rudimentary searches. Hints on how to obtain more focused search results by using more of the various capabilities of the ADS are presented, including searching by affiliation. We also discuss the classification of articles by content and by referee status. The ADS is funded by NASA Grant NNG06GG68G-16613687.Comment: 4 pages; submitted to the proceedings of the Library and Information Services in Astronomy V; to be published by ASP Conference Proceeding

Use of Astronomical Literature - A Report on Usage Patterns

In this paper we present a number of metrics for usage of the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS). Since the ADS is used by the entire astronomical community, these are indicative of how the astronomical literature is used. We will show how the use of the ADS has changed both quantitatively and qualitatively. We will also show that different types of users access the system in different ways. Finally, we show how use of the ADS has evolved over the years in various regions of the world. The ADS is funded by NASA Grant NNG06GG68G.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables. Accepted by Journal of Informetric

Full Text Searching in the Astrophysics Data System

The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) provides a search system for the astronomy and physics scholarly literature. All major and many smaller astronomy journals that were published on paper have been scanned back to volume 1 and are available through the ADS free of charge. All scanned pages have been converted to text and can be searched through the ADS Full Text Search System. In addition, searches can be fanned out to several external search systems to include the literature published in electronic form. Results from the different search systems are combined into one results list. The ADS Full Text Search System is available at: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/fulltext_service.htmlComment: To appear in Library and Information Systems in Astronomy

Effect of E-printing on Citation Rates in Astronomy and Physics

In this report we examine the change in citation behavior since the introduction of the arXiv e-print repository (Ginsparg, 2001). It has been observed that papers that initially appear as arXiv e-prints get cited more than papers that do not (Lawrence, 2001; Brody et al., 2004; Schwarz & Kennicutt, 2004; Kurtz et al., 2005a, Metcalfe, 2005). Using the citation statistics from the NASA-Smithsonian Astrophysics Data System (ADS; Kurtz et al., 1993, 2000), we confirm the findings from other studies, we examine the average citation rate to e-printed papers in the Astrophysical Journal, and we show that for a number of major astronomy and physics journals the most important papers are submitted to the arXiv e-print repository first.Comment: Submitted to the Journal of Electronic Publishing. 11 pages with 5 figure

The Future of Technical Libraries

Technical libraries are currently experiencing very rapid change. In the near future their mission will change, their physical nature will change, and the skills of their employees will change. While some will not be able to make these changes, and will fail, others will lead us into a new era.Comment: To appear in Library and Information Systems in Astronomy

Creation and use of Citations in the ADS

With over 20 million records, the ADS citation database is regularly used by researchers and librarians to measure the scientific impact of individuals, groups, and institutions. In addition to the traditional sources of citations, the ADS has recently added references extracted from the arXiv e-prints on a nightly basis. We review the procedures used to harvest and identify the reference data used in the creation of citations, the policies and procedures that we follow to avoid double-counting and to eliminate contributions which may not be scholarly in nature. Finally, we describe how users and institutions can easily obtain quantitative citation data from the ADS, both interactively and via web-based programming tools. The ADS is available at http://ads.harvard.edu.Comment: 9 pages; to be published in the proceedings of the conference "Library and Information Services V," June 2006, Cambridge, MA, US

Computing and Using Metrics in the ADS

Finding measures for research impact, be it for individuals, institutions, instruments or projects, has gained a lot of popularity. More papers than ever are being written on new impact measures, and problems with existing measures are being pointed out on a regular basis. Funding agencies require impact statistics in their reports, job candidates incorporate them in their resumes, and publication metrics have even been used in at least one recent court case. To support this need for research impact indicators, the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) has developed a service which provides a broad overview of various impact measures. In this presentation we discuss how the ADS can be used to quench the thirst for impact measures. We will also discuss a couple of the lesser known indicators in the metrics overview and the main issues to be aware of when compiling publication-based metrics in the ADS, namely author name ambiguity and citation incompleteness.Comment: to appear in proceedings of LISA VII conference, Naples, Ital

Paper to Screen: Processing Historical Scans in the ADS

The NASA Astrophysics Data System in conjunction with the Wolbach Library at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is working on a project to microfilm historical observatory publications. The microfilm is then scanned for inclusion in the ADS. The ADS currently contains over 700,000 scanned pages of volumes of historical literature. Many of these volumes lack clear pagination or other bibliographic data that are necessary to take advantage of the searching capabilities of the ADS. This paper will address some of the interesting challenges that needed to be resolved during the processing of the Observatory Reports included in the ADS.Comment: 4 pages; submitted to the proceedings of Library and Information Services in Astronomy; to be published in the ASP Conference Serie