PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, January 8 /PRNewswire/ --

- From H-index to Impact Factor, Citation Impact Forum Hosts Expert Commentary and Scholarly Discussion About Citation-based Research Evaluation

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 its Citation Impact Forum, an online forum promoting scholarly discussion about all facets of citation-based research evaluation - from Thomson Scientific's own influential Journal Impact Factor to emerging citation metrics, such as the h-index.

"The online format provides a modern-style roundtable discussion," said Jim Testa, Thomson Scientific's director of editorial development. "A running discussion on the topic of evaluation methods gives users around the world the benefit of information straight from Thomson Scientific. Additionally, we will use the invitation-only monthly forums to interact directly with the research community as well as to provide a way for the members of that community to interact with each other."

The Citation Impact Forum will feature interviews with and commentary from industry leaders - bibliometricians, researchers and publishers - about scholarly evaluation. By becoming a registered member of the Forum, users have the added ability to join invitation only forums where they can participate in discussions by sharing their own thoughts with other members. Registered members can also recommend future Forum discussion topics.

Thomson Scientific will also use the Forum to address - or to clarify -- inaccuracies and common misinterpretations circulating among the scientific community, printed in journals, blogs and other forums.

"The Citation Impact Forum promotes a dynamic dialogue within the research community, allowing users to share with their peers the strategies and tools being used to evaluate researchers, institutions, publications and impact," added Testa.

"No form of research evaluation is cut and dry - all research metrics have their benefits and their limitations,'" said Jim Pringle, vice president of product development at Thomson Scientific. "As partners in research, by promoting an understanding of and discussion about these metrics, we hope to encourage those in the industry to use metrics more effectively."

Thomson Scientific's Citation Impact Forum, can be found by visiting scientific.thomson.com/citationimpactforum/.

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.scientific.thomson.com/citationimpactforum http://www.thomson.com

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