New tool on Policy Commons enables impact analysis for millions of items of grey literature

Contact: Toby Green

Today, Policy Commons launched its Mentions tool. It allows researchers to find and analyze impact across millions of scattered grey-literature documents. A user can draw from a wide range of metadata to  create a content set, then see in an instant when organizations are mentioned, by whom, where, and how often.

Materials covered by Policy Commons are typically not included in standard academic search engines or journals, yet they document real-world impacts delivered by cities, think tanks, NGOs, IGOs, and other organizations. In addition to preserving and making this content searchable, Policy Commons now also makes it possible to use the material for impact studies.  

The Mention tool goes further than citations in analyzing impact—by documenting when an organization is talked about in all forms and instances, not just when a publication is cited. The result is a more complete picture of impact than can be seen from counting citations alone. 

“The inspiration for Mentions grew out of my frustration with mainstream tools when I was setting up the OECD’s impact unit,” said Toby Green, Policy Commons publisher. “Institutions like the OECD are not interested in just citations. They need data on when they’re being talked about in any context. If an organization’s activity or decision is mentioned in various reports, for example, or quoted in someone’s blog, those are valid and important measures of the organization’s impact.”

The new Mentions tool is available now to all Policy Commons subscribers. Non-subscribers are invited to try the tool for free by registering at http://policycommons.net.  

For more information, purchase details, and access to the database, please visit https://coherentdigital.net/poco or contact sales@coherentdigital.net

About Coherent Digital

Coherent Digital LLC is a Washington DC based publisher that uses a combination of editorial and automated techniques to discover, curate, and enrich grey literature.  Its core database includes more than 12 million items of high-quality content much of which is unavailable elsewhere.