Westminster’s Dr Luca Cacciolatti and alumnus Sergey Petrenko develop a new free tool for the research community

The ExCITATION plug-in is an innovative tool designed to help researchers to identify high-quality studies quickly and preview abstracts in one click. It works by sorting search results by citations or SJR citescore, meaning researchers can quickly identify articles that have been cited frequently or published in high-impact journals. This will help them to avoid sifting through low-quality sources and increase their chances of finding relevant and reliable information for their research. 

This tool was developed by Dr Luca Cacciolatti, who is a Reader in Innovation and Marketing at the Westminster Business School. Having joined the University in 2015 as a Senior Lecturer, Dr Cacciolatti designed and implemented the University’s highly innovative and successful Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Enterprise Development MSc course and was the former Head of Westminster’s Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation Research Group.  

The ExCITATION plug-in is not only beneficial for researchers but also for students. As students begin to conduct their own research, they can benefit from the use of this plug-in by identifying key studies and developing a better understanding of the importance of citation analysis in research. By incorporating this tool into their research activities, students can save time, become more efficient, and gain a deeper appreciation of the value of using high-quality sources, leading to better submissions and higher marks.

The development team at ExCITATION hopes that this new tool will help researchers and students to achieve new heights in their research and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their respective fields. This plug-in has been approved by the Information System Support (ISS) team at the University of Westminster, ensuring its cyber-safety and compliance with data regulations. 

Dr Cacciolatti said about the tool: “The importance of using high-quality sources in research cannot be overstated. I pride myself on returning five 3-star CABS publications for the REF2020, and I know the hurdles that PhD students and Early Career Researchers face when searching the literature for their scientific studies, especially in an academic world dominated by research directors judging performance on the number of publications and grant applications. I feel proud to have generated such a tool for the benefit of the research community. I’m an advocate for a holistic approach to entrepreneurship through innovation and a supporter of high-quality scientific research. 

“When teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students, they often struggle to understand what a high-quality source to reference is. This tool allows all students to make informed choices based on what the global academic community recognises as high-quality research. This impacts them by improving the quality of their coursework submissions and by making them aspire to higher marks.” 

Install the ExCITATION journal ranking tool on Google Chrome or Edge. 

Find out more about the Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Enterprise Development MSc course at Westminster.