FAQ: Sage eBook COUNTER Reporting Changes

Why are we changing the way landing pages are counted in COUNTER usage data? 

A: The 2022 COUNTER audit revealed that we have been inaccurately counting landing pages for Sage Reference & Academic Books and Sage Research Methods eBook titles. Specifically, Table of Contents views were being counted as requests when they should have been classified as investigations. This discrepancy has led us to fall short of complying with the COUNTER Code of Practice. To rectify this and ensure data accuracy, we are making necessary adjustments from September 19, 2023. 

How can a customer compare their year-on-year usage once this change has been implemented? 

Customers can compare their usage year-on-year by looking at the number of investigations, as this metric is not changing. 

Are other products affected by this change? 

A: No, only Sage Reference & Academic Books and Sage Research Methods: Books & Reference are impacted by this change. Other products do not have table of contents landing pages. 

What metrics are changing? 

A: The list below shows what will be changing and what will remain the same. 

• Total_Item_Investigations: No change. Every page view to the landing page counts as an investigation, and every chapter page view also counts as an investigation. 
• Total_Item_Requests: This will be reduced by one for every view of a book landing page. Only the total number of chapter pages viewed is now counted. 
• Unique_Item_Investigations: No change.
• Unique_Item_Requests: This will be reduced by one for each view of a landing page in a user session. If a user views the landing pages multiple times during a session, this count will still only go down by one. This statistic will count the number of unique chapters the user has viewed in a session. 
• Unique_Title_Investigations: No change.
• Unique_Title_Requests: This will be reduced by one for each session where the user viewed a book landing page but did not then continue to view any chapter content. This will be the count of the number of titles that a user views at least one chapter page in. 

What upcoming initiatives are there to support content discovery?

A: We are actively working on a variety of cross-product initiatives. These include optimizing the search functionality, enabling Google Scholar indexing for our content, and implementing accessibility improvements. We are also working on KBART automation to streamline librarian workflows and improve clarity regarding institutional access. 

Need help? Contact us

My questions have not been answered; who may I speak to? 

Please contact us at LibraryMktg@sagepub.com.