Thomson Scientific Salutes Nobel Laureate Prize Winners, Many of Whom Were Selected as Thomson Scientific Laureates in 2006

Thomson Scientific Salutes Nobel Laureate Prize Winners, Many of Whom Were Selected as Thomson Scientific Laureates in 2006

October 17, 2007

2007 Winners Demonstrate Strong Correlation Between
Citations and Professional Awards

    PHILADELPHIA, and LONDON, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/
-- Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation
(NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information
solutions to the worldwide research and business
communities, accurately predicted two out of four Nobel
Prize category winners this year -- in Physiology or
Medicine, and in Physics. 

    This year's Physiology or Medicine award winners Mario
R. Capecchi, Sir Martin J Evans, and Oliver Smithies, and
the Physics award winners Albert Fert and Peter Grunberg,
were accurately forecasted in 2006 as probable Nobel
Laureates, using Thomson Scientific's analysis of
citations. They were then admitted into the Thomson
Scientific Hall of Laureates. 

    The Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, although not
predicted, is a highly cited scientist and is listed in ISI
Highly Cited (http://www.isihighlycited.com/), a freely
accessible website that lists individuals that are the most
highly cited within various fields for the period 1981-1999.


    "Our successful predictions demonstrate the power
of citation analysis to reveal important research
contributions and the scientists responsible for
them," said David Pendlebury, analyst with the
Research Services group at Thomson Scientific. "Our
prediction method, using citation counts as its fundamental
point of departure, has over the years proven to be an
accurate measure of research success and of Nobelists to
be." 

    Many studies conducted over the past three decades have
shown a strong correlation between citations in the
literature and peer esteem, often reflected in professional
awards such as the Nobel Prize. Each year, Thomson
Scientific adds three candidates per Nobel category to the
Thomson Scientific Hall of Laureates. Based on information
that includes their citation counts, the selected
candidates have a high probability of being awarded the
Nobel Prize that year or in future years. Using this
method, analysts at Thomson Scientific have successfully
predicted 27 Nobel Prize winners since 1989. 

    Methodology of Predictions

    Using Thomson Scientific's Essential Science
Indicators, a database for quantitative analysis of
performance and trends in global research, and other data
from ISI Web of Science, analysts review scientists who
typically rank in the top 0.1% in their research areas
based on their citation counts and number of high-impact
papers.

    "Clearly the choices of the Nobel Committees are
more complex than simply identifying highly cited or
most-cited scientists," said Pendlebury. "We
simply use citations as the primary indicator. This tells
us where to begin our prediction process."

    Each candidate's record is then examined with a thought
to discoveries or themes that might be considered worthy of
special recognition by the Nobel Committee. In each of four
areas -- Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and
Economics -- three predictions are made each year and those
names added to the elite list of the Thomson Scientific Hall
of Laureates. "It's more luck than skill," said
Pendlebury. "But by focusing on the most-cited
scientists we hope to, as it were, better our luck."

    For more information and a list of the Thomson
Scientific Laureates, or information on the selection
process, please go to:
http://scientific.thomson.com/nobel/. 

    About The Thomson Corporation

    The Thomson Corporation (http://www.thomson.com) is a
global leader in providing essential electronic workflow
solutions to business and professional customers. With
operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson
provides value-added information, software tools and
applications to professionals in the fields of law, tax,
accounting, financial services, scientific research and
healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on
the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX:
TOC). 

    Thomson Scientific is a business of The Thomson
Corporation. Its information solutions assist professionals
at every stage of research and development-from discovery to
analysis to product development and distribution. Thomson
Scientific information solutions can be found at
http://scientific.thomson.com.


    For more information, please contact£º

     Sue Besaw 
     Thomson Scientific
     Phone: [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]