AMSTERDAM, February 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Elsevier announced today that Scopus(R), its flagship product and world's largest abstract and citation (AC) database, was chosen by the Australian Research Council (ARC) for its Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative.

The ERA initiative will assess research quality within Australia's higher education institutions using a combination of indicators and expert review by committees comprised of experienced, internationally-recognized experts.

Scopus Custom Data will be the sole provider used to assess the country's higher education research output for the ERA's first group of science disciplines: Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences (PCE).

By leveraging the broad and rich content available in Scopus the ARC's ERA initiative will evaluate 41 Higher Education Providers (HEPs) using international and national benchmarks.

The ARC is committed to the development of a world-class research quality and evaluation system Professor Sheil said.

Identifying research excellence in this global environment is incredibly complex, which is why we are proud that the ARC will utilize Scopus to reach its ERA goals, added Herman Van Campenhout, CEO Science Technology for Elsevier. Through this relationship, we hope to open doors for Australian universities by giving them a better understanding of where they stand in the research playing field, and where to invest scarce resources.

More information available at http://www.arc.gov.au/media/media_releases.htm

About the Australian Research Council (ARC)

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is a statutory authority within the Australian Government's Innovation, Industry, Science and Research portfolio. The ARC advises the Australian Government on research matters and manages the National Competitive Grants Program, a significant component of Australia's investment in research and development. Through the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative the ARC will assess research quality within Australia's higher education institutions using a combination of indicators and expert review by committees comprising experienced, internationally-recognised experts..

About Scopus

Covering the world's research literature, Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality Web sources with smart tools to track analyze and visualize research. Scopus was designed and developed with over 500 users and librarians internationally. Its unique database contains abstracts and references from over 15,000 peer-reviewed journals from 4,000 publishers worldwide, ensuring broad interdisciplinary coverage. In addition, Scopus not only offers users citation information about the articles covered, but also directly integrates Web and patent searches. Direct links to full-text articles, library resources and other applications like reference management software, make Scopus quicker, easier and more comprehensive to use than any other literature research tool. For more information about Scopus please visit http://www.info.scopus.com.

About Scopus Custom DataScopus Custom Data provides research agencies, institutions and government bodies with customized datasets in XML format for large-scale research performance analysis. Scopus Custom Data extracts Scopus core records in accordance to each customer's individual specifications, such as date range, subject categories and geographic location. The XML data can then be loaded by customers into their proprietary in-house systems, making it possible for them to run their specific search queries and execute their own analytical techniques; providing the analyst with the freedom to formulate their own reports. It empowers them to make well-informed, unbiased resource allocation and policy making decisions.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), MD Consult ( http://www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com/), bibliographic databases, and online reference works.

Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

CONTACT: Malkie Bernheim/ Jessica Disch Padilla Speer Beardsley +1-212-752-8338 mbernheim@psbpr.com/ jdisch@psbpr.com

CONTACT: Malkie Bernheim/ Jessica Disch, Padilla Speer Beardsley, +1-212-752-8338, mbernheim@psbpr.com/ jdisch@psbpr.com