In 2007 the United Kingdom Serials Group (UKSG), in association with the online usage metrics organisation COUNTER, published the results of a wide-ranging study which explored how online journal usage statistics might form the basis of a new metric of journal quality. The study combined a web-based survey of opinion with a series of in-depth interviews with stakeholders from the author, publisher and librarian communities. The aim of these twin avenues of research was to examine the ways in which journal quality is currently assessed, and the degree to which any additional usage-based metrics might prove valuable to each stakeholder community, along with practical ways in which such metrics might be derived and constructed to provide the maximum utility for all, within defined resource constraints. Building upon the encouraging reactions revealed in the market research, Stage 2 of the project is developing a programme of data modelling and analysis that will use real usage data from a number of content providers, with the aim of identifying potential candidate metrics for longer term scaled up testing.

E.g.: "Blogs are an emergent form for the academy. They are particularly hard to evaluate since they don’t resemble any traditional academic form. A good blogger (or team of bloggers) however, do a great service to the community by tracking a field and commenting on it. The better blogs will include short reviews, announcements, interesting interventions and notes about timely matters like exhibits. Blogs, as I have learned, take habits of attention. Each post might take half an hour to an hour to research and post. They may appear to be light and quick, but the good bloggers acquire a voice and engage an audience. In some ways running a blog is like moderating a discussion list. How often does Willard McCarty post a provocative note to HUMANIST to promote discussion? The work of facilitating the conversations we value in the humanities should not be dismissed as service. It is possible the most lasting academic work of this age will be the social networking that allows others a voice. This is comparable to the work of translation or editorial work where transparency leads to illegitimacy – if you do such a good job that no one notices you then no one things you are doing good work."

Patrick Gaulé, Access to the scientific literature in India, CEMI Working Paper 2009-004, February 23, 2009. Abstract: This paper uses an evidence-based approach to assess the difficulties faced by developing country scientists in accessing the scientific literature. I compare backward citations patterns of Swiss and Indian scientists in a database of 43'150 scientific papers published by scientists from either country in 2007. Controlling for fields and quality with citing journal fixed effects, I find that Indian scientists (1) have shorter references lists (2) are more likely to cite articles from open access journals and (3) are less likely to cite articles from expensive journals. The magnitude of the effects is small which can be explained by informal file sharing practices among scientists.