How-To: New Article One Researcher Tools
Posted on Thu, Feb 16, 2012
As part of ongoing efforts to make the Article One website a more enriching experience for Researchers, we’re rolling out new tools for tracking research activity. Plain and simple: these tools will help you succeed. They offer free and easy-to-digest feedback that helps to shed light on what really works in prior art research, so that Researchers can continuously improve their efficiency and success.
We described the newest crop of features in detail in a webinar this week, of which you can find a full recording here. This blog post offers a briefer overview of these great new tools, including tips on how to use the information.
Points History
The Points History has been a feature since the beginning of Article One, but we’ve made a few improvements so that Researchers can more easily track their progress. On the “Points” page and under the “Points History” tab is a graph showing the number points earned per month for the past year. This is useful for identifying progress in research success.
Above the graph is information on current Researcher Level, which is an acknowledgment of how many points a Researcher has earned in the last 12 months. Researchers will hold this level for at least one year and are guaranteed to earn one year of Profit Sharing at that level. To help guide towards the next level, this page presents the number of Points Needed to Achieve the Next Level. Between the current and future levels, progress is shown through Points Past 12 Months, which determines what the new level would be if the current 12 month cycle ended today. More info on profit sharing can be found here.
Activity Dashboard
The most significant improvements can be found under the Activity Dashboard tab. Here, Researchers will find a new graph showing detailed information on their submissions for the past 12 months.
The green line on the graph denotes the most basic indicator of success with submissions, the “In-Scope Percentage.” This is the percentage of submissions that are deemed useful for the Study and are potential winners. A high percentage of in-scope submissions means not only the best chances of winning, but also shows that the Researcher has an efficient process for finding references. These are also the references that will receive points.
Looking at a month when the In-Scope Percentage is especially high or low, a Researcher can use the bar portion of the graph to determine the cause of the change. A Researcher may find, for instance, that high In-Scope Percentage often coincides with a higher number of non-U.S. submissions. The Researcher could then use this information to adjust his or her search strategy to maximize potential and time spent, by focusing on non-U.S. submissions.
Researcher Scorecard
Below the graph is a new table that we call the Researcher Scorecard. This scorecard displays basic statistics on activity and Researcher success to explain how their activity is changing over time. By comparing the data in the past 3 months, 12 months, and total, Researchers can track their growth in specific areas. The “Winner Average” column describes the statistics of a typical Study winner. This allows Researchers to see how they compare with the best Researchers, and can help them to calibrate their goals for improving.
Aside from the success rate statistics (In-Scope, Points Per Submission), which can only be improved over a longer period of time, there are two stats on the table that can be improved immediately. “Non-Patent Literature” and “Non-U.S. Submissions” are often the most valuable types of references in a Study. As a result, high rates of these kinds of submissions often coincide with success. Since Researchers are in full control of these figures, they are the easiest ways to immediately improve the research quality. By comparing the ongoing statistics in these categories to those found in the “Winner Average” column, Researchers can identify potential areas of improvement.
Let Us Know What You Want!
We’ve created these features for you, the Researchers, so please don’t hesitate to let us know what works, what doesn’t, and what you would like to see added to our set of tools. We are constantly working to improve our user interface and the overall Researcher experience. Your input and feedback are key to that mission. Visit our contact page to let us know your thoughts!