Key resources for tracking citations
The main resources for tracking citations are the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The University of Sussex Library has an institutional subscription to both Web of Science and Scopus. They can be accessed from the Library's Online Resources A-Z list.
Scopus provides the abstracts and cited references of over 25,000 peer-reviewed titles from more than 5,000 international publishers in the sciences, social sciences and the arts and humanities. It includes references of all articles published since 1996, offering newly-linked citations across the widest body of articles available including Open Access and online-only titles.
Web of Science provides access to the Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index and Arts & Humanities Citation Index. It gives citation information for approximately 21,000 journals.
Web of Science is integrated with a resource called Journal Citation Reports (JCR). The JCR compiles citation data and has been considered the definitive source of traditional publication metrics for some time. Scopus has developed it's own metrics and tools for analysis, which pose a challenge to the JCR. Both sources can provide valuable information if used responsibly.
What is counted?
Different citation tracking tools work with slightly different datasets. This means that there will often be discrepancies from one data source to the next, when it comes to citation counts. While citation tracking tools can provide valuable insight, it should be noted that no single source can create a complete picture of all possible citations.
Google Scholar citation data will often show a much higher citation count. This is because Google Scholar looks at a wider range of publications, including grey literature, monographs and theses, so it may count citations that are not picked up by other tools. However, Google Scholar counts may also include duplicate records, misattributions and discrepancies and may be problematic.
Databases which offer citation tracking
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowSearches academic publishers, professional societies and pre-print archives.
- IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new windowAccess to journals, transactions, letters, magazines and conference proceedings on computer science, electrical engineering and electronics.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowProvides access to more than 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines primarily in the humanities and social sciences. Also includes: 34,000 research reports from more than 140 policy institutes on climate change, cybersecurity, energy policy, international relations, terrorism, and various public health issues. Primary sources from important and rare collections from libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies around the world including Global Plants, 19th Century British Pamphlets and Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa. Thematic collections focusing on emerging areas of research includes Lives of Literature, Security Studies, and Sustainability.
- PubMed This link opens in a new windowA search tool for accessing literature citations and linking to full-text journals. Developed by the NCBI in conjunction with publishers of biomedical literature.
- Scopus This link opens in a new window
Scopus is a multidisciplinary abstract and citation database, which provides access to academic journals, books, conference proceedings, and patents from 1788–present.
Advanced Features: citation analysis, author profiles, journal metrics; data export and analysis, search alerts.
Subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Engineering ; Life and Health Sciences ; Social Sciences, Psychology and Economics ; Biological, Agricultural; Environmental Sciences.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new windowAccess to the Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index and Arts & Humanities Citation Index.