Assessing Return on Investment in Licensed E-Resources through Citation Analysis

We examined articles published by Northeastern faculty members to determine (1) how frequently they cited articles found in our licensed e-resources, and (2) whether those citation rates correlated with usage statistics. We found disciplinary differences in usage compared to citation rates, with STEM resources being somewhat penalized by usage statistics in contrast to other disciplines. We suggest that citation rate data may be worth considering in collection decisions.

Outcomes: Identify at least 2 quantitative methods for evaluating library-licensed e-resources * Explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of employing usage data and citation rate data to inform collection decisions