Item level metrics
The method for counting book usage has changed. In COUNTER 5.1, each item used (chapter, reference entry, article) will be counted as a Unique_Item_Investigation or Unique_Item_Request.
Consequently, the "SN:Total_Chapter_Requests" custom metric becomes obsolete and will no longer be available.
Comparing metrics for books with previous years
Due to the new method of counting item-level usage for books, we recommend using title-level metrics (“Unique_Title_Investigations” and “Unique_Title_Requests”) to compare the usage of books and reference works between COUNTER 5.0 and 5.1.
Please note that although Release 5.0 included a custom metric "SN:Total_Chapter_Requests" to show chapter-level usage, the item-level figures in Release 5.1 will be higher. This increase is because, starting January 1, 2025, we enabled the full book download button for large books on Springer Nature Link. Previously, it was not possible to download books with more than 100/200 chapters as a single file.
Free to Read content
COUNTER 5.1 now includes a definition for 'Free_To_Read' that covers both permanently and temporarily free content from Springer Nature.
Since Access_Type changes over time, the same title may appear more than once in a report.
Data Types for books
- Conference Proceedings: We have decided to continue reporting Conference Proceedings as "Books." This decision is based on the absence of title-level metrics for the "Conference" Data_Type, which are essential for reporting on the usage of our eBook collections.
- Reference Works: In accordance with COUNTER 5.1 guidelines, we will report Reference Works as "Reference_Work," including metrics for Unique_Title_Investigations and Unique_Title_Requests.