PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, January 11 /PRNewswire/ --

- Unique Identifier Ensures An Accurate Record Of A Researcher's Output And Attribution and Builds a World-class Author Community

Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, today announced the launch of ResearcherID.com. This unique Web environment enables researchers to create stable personal identifiers to present their works and manage public presentation of their personal metrics.

Each individual identification (ID) number acts as a digital "calling card" that the researcher can place anywhere, such as a personal home page, a CV, or a university page. The identifier links to a personal workspace that automatically updates citation data, user-generated tags and keywords, and professional information that can be shared with the public or kept for personal monitoring. ResearcherID.com ensures an accurate record of a researcher's output and attribution, providing a gateway for colleagues to pinpoint not only that researcher's published work, but also the researcher as a potential collaborator.

"Researchers expressed to us a need for a place to manage their professional profile -- it needed to be free, open to all their colleagues, yet with total control over their own privacy," said Jim Pringle, vice president of product development at Thomson Scientific. "We've worked with key industry leaders to ensure that we have developed an open solution, and we look forward to sharing it with the entire research community both directly from ResearcherID.com and via a standard Web Services API."

Designed as a web-based system, ResearcherID.com allocates an ID during a one-time registration which can be expressly associated with a researcher's published works without confusion over nomenclature or any changes in institutional affiliations during one's career.

"ResearcherID.com resolves any ambiguity surrounding published works and provides a safe space for virtual collaboration," added Pringle. "The select researchers who were given access to this over the last several months have embraced it enthusiastically."

Later this month, Web of Science users will be able to create identifiers and workspaces to share publicly, with even wider availability via trusted sponsors in the future. For more information, or to request an invitation to register for a unique Researcher ID, please visit: http://www.researcherid.com

About The Thomson Corporation

The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com) is a global leader in providing essential electronic workflow solutions to business and professional customers. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to professionals in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).

Thomson Scientific is a business of The Thomson Corporation. Its information solutions assist professionals at every stage of research and development-from discovery to analysis to product development and distribution. Thomson Scientific information solutions can be found at scientific.thomson.com.

Web site: http://www.scientific.thomson.com http://www.researcherid.com http://www.thomson.com

Sue Besaw, of Thomson Scientific, +1-215-823-1840, susan.besaw@thomson.com