Chairman Dave Moskovitz said the company had produced a significant return on investment, managing to grow quickly since its launch.
"Most companies would take maybe seven to 10 years to really turn into valuable companies so the fact that Publons were the first accelerator cohort in New Zealand and they've managed to turn around in four years is pretty amazing," Moskovitz said.
"It's a huge win for startups, their founders, and investors, as it validates that we can build companies of great value internationally from Wellington.
"There are a number of other companies that have come through accelerators so we can expect to see more great exits in years to come. This one happened particularly quickly."
Clarivate said the acquisition would help address critical issues in the US$1.7 trillion ($2.4t) global research market, including fraud, lack of reproducibility in scientific research, inefficiencies and the ability to identify and understand top research.
The company has 14 staff including its co-founders, all of whom would continue to work for the business Moskovitz said.