Mapping Host Types, Data Types, and Required Reports
Host types are an essential part of the Code of Practice, but they are somewhat invisible: they don’t show up in COUNTER reports, and the only place to find the information is in the Registry.
A platform’s Host Type defines the COUNTER Reports and standard views that the platform needs to deliver, based on the kind of content it offers. It’s perfectly possible for platforms to have multiple Host Types, adding to the complexity.
While there are twelve Host Types in the Code of Practice, they fall into broad groups. The first group are databases, covering six Host Types. Then we have the repositories, covering four Host Types. Finally, there are content-specific book and journal Host Types, which aggregate titles outside of a database.
Section 3.3 of the Code of Practice includes several tables that reference Host Types. In this guide, we’ve combined those tables to help you understand what you can expect to see and where.
Database Hosts
Aggregated databases
First up are databases which aggregate full-text content at title level. By that, we mean that the database gives access to full-text journal or book content, or other content collected into a title.
| Host Type | Description | Required COUNTER Reports | Allowable Data Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregated Full Content | Databases of full text and other materials | Platform Report Database Report Title Report | Audiovisual Book Conference Image Interactive Resource Journal Multimedia Newspaper or Newsletter Other Patent Reference Work Report Sound Standard Thesis or Dissertation Unspecified |
| eBook Collection | Ebook collections that behave like databases | Platform Report Database Report Title Report | Book Conference Reference Work |
Non-aggregated databases
Our second set of database Host Types are the databases which offer full-text content as individual items. By that, we mean that the database gives access to full-text or multimedia content that is not collected into a title.
| Host Type | Description | Required COUNTER Reports | Allowable Data Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Content Database | Databases of content items not otherwise part of an eJournal or eBook platform | Platform Report Database Report | Audiovisual Image Interactive Resource Multimedia Other Patent Report Sound Standard Thesis or Dissertation Unspecified |
| Multimedia Collection | Multimedia collections that behave like databases | Platform Report Database Report | Audiovisual Image Interactive Resource Multimedia Sound |
Discovery databases
Lastly in the database category, we have what Tasha calls the discovery databases. These databases only hold metadata, without any full text or multimedia content, so they should not have any Request metrics to report.
| Host Type | Description | Required COUNTER Reports | Allowable Data Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&I Database | Abstracting and indexing databases that support discovery | Platform Report Database Report | Audiovisual Book Conference Image Interactive Resource Journal Multimedia Newspaper or Newsletter Other Patent Reference Work Report Sound Standard Thesis or Dissertation Unspecified |
| Discovery Service | Indices of articles, books, and other metadata | Platform Report Database Report | Book Conference Journal Newspaper or Newsletter Other Patent Reference Work Report Standard Thesis or Dissertation Unspecified |
Aggregated content not in databases
There are two Host Types that aggregate content to title level, but which are not database platforms. In both cases, the content on the platform may be available individually or as part of a package. The key differentiator between these Host Types and our various databases is the platforms’ behaviour. Where search is key for databases, for these aggregated content platforms, search is present but not a priority. Equally, database platforms typically (but not always) collect content into fixed databases, with relatively little overlap in content between databases. By contrast, these Host Types often have titles appearing in multiple sales packages for maximum flexibility. I’m talking, of course, about books and journals.
| Host Type | Description | Required COUNTER Reports | Allowable Data Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBook | Individual eBooks or eBook packages | Platform Report Title Report | Book Conference Reference Work |
| eJournal | Serials (journals, conferences, newspapers, etc.) available as individual titles or packages | Platform Report Title Report | Conference Journal Newspaper or Newsletter |
Repositories
Lastly, we’ve four Host Types that fall within the category of repositories. Some repositories use the COUNTER Code of Practice for Research Data for their reporting. In 2024 COUNTER and Make Data Count ran a consultation which determined that it would be possible to merge the Code for Research Data into the main Code of Practice. That project will be going ahead, but we don’t have a date for it yet.
| Host Type | Description | Required COUNTER Reports | Allowable Data Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Repository | Research data repositories | Platform Report Item Report | Dataset Software Unspecified |
| Multimedia | Individual items of audio, video, or other multimedia content | Platform Report Item Report | Audiovisual Image Interactive Resource Multimedia Sound |
| Repository | Institutional and subject repositories offering access to research output, which may include but is not exclusively data | Platform Report Item Report | Article Book Segment Conference Item Dataset Journal News Item Other Patent Reference Item Report Software Standard Thesis or Dissertation Unspecified |
| Scholarly Collaboration Network | Services used by researchers to share information about their work | Platform Report Item Report | Article Book Segment Conference Item News Item Patent Reference Item Report Standard Thesis or Dissertation Unspecified |