Citation searching and citation indexes
Citation searching is a way of finding relevant research in a field or subject by looking at what an article has referenced and who has since used that article as a reference.
Web of Science and Sopus are the main citation indexes, but you can also find citation information in other search tools,for example Google Scholar and journal publishers platforms. The starting point for your citation search can be a specific article, an author or keywords. Remember that the number of citations always depends on what is included in the search tool or database index. The citations are within the index, and no index cover all citations.
Citation metrics is based on the thought that if an article is highly cited the research it covers is important and great, and journals with lots of cited articles are great journals. But the use and fairness of citation metrics are being questioned as the amount and speed of scholarly publishing is increasing. Open access is also a factor to consider. Other types of metrics are emerging, for example counts of download.
Citation indexes
- Web of ScienceSearch the whole collection or select an edition for example Social Sciences Citation Index. Note that the different indexes within Web of Science have different start years. You find tutorials and guided tours via the purple question mark at the bottom right corner of the database.
- ScopusAbstract and citation database. Searchtips
Citation information in Google Scholar
In Google Scholar you find information about citations within the index, and also Web of Science citations. If the number of citations from Web of Science is important for you, double check the results in Web of Science. Find out more about Google Scholar metrics.
Citation information in Libsearch
If citation information is missing in Libsearch results, check the Source filter and select Scopus or Web of Science indexes (Social Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index, Art & Humanities Citation Index). If the number of citations is important for you, double check the results in Web of Science or Scopus. You’ll notice the results may be different in Libsearch compared to the original citation index, and there are of course lots of articles without citation information in Libsearch.
Small task: Citation searching
Search for an older and well-known core article, or a new hot article in Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science. Compare and reflect upon the results for citations.