Getting Started with Factbase
What is this site?
docs.factbase.org is the official documentation hub for Factbase, an academic research initiative providing rigorous analytical frameworks for measuring national research capability in strategic technology domains.
This site is designed for researchers, policymakers, and analysts who want to:
- Understand our methodology – detailed explanations of metrics like TMCM and fractional credit
- Explore our data – learn about sources, coverage, and quality standards
- Verify our approach – transparent, academically-rigorous methods aligned with international standards
- Reproduce our analysis – technical specifications enabling independent verification
What you'll find here
Methodology
In-depth explanations of how we measure research quality, calculate metrics, and ensure methodological rigour. Understand the "why" and "how" behind Factbase's analytical framework.
Data Documentation
Details on our data sources, topic taxonomy, coverage periods, and quality assurance processes. Transparency in what we measure and where it comes from.
Technical Specifications
Complete metric definitions, calculation formulas, and implementation details for researchers seeking to verify or extend our work.
Updates
Announcements of methodology refinements, expanded coverage, and new capabilities as the research initiative evolves.
About Factbase
Factbase is an academic research initiative developed by the Global Institute for National Capability (GINC) to provide transparent, rigorous assessment of national and institutional research capability in critical technologies.
Our approach:
- Open, transparent methodology enabling independent verification
- Rigorous metrics following OECD and UNESCO standards
- Strategic granularity at specific technology domain level
- Comprehensive coverage from multiple authoritative bibliometric sources
Academic foundations:
- OECD Frascati Manual (fractional counting)
- CWTS Leiden Ranking approaches (field normalization)
- European Commission research assessment protocols
- Novel contributions: TMCM metric, strategic topic taxonomy, multi-temporal analysis
Non-commercial: Factbase is an academic research initiative, not a commercial product. Methods are documented openly and subject to academic scrutiny.