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Web of Science

From Alfawiki
Web of Science
Company typeSubscription-based service
IndustryAcademic publishing, Bibliographic database
PredecessorInstitute for Scientific Information
FounderEugene Garfield (precursor: Science Citation Index)
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsCitation databases, data analytics products, workflow solutions, professional services (e.g., EndNote, Publons, Journal Citation Reports)
OwnerClarivate
ParentClarivate
Websitewww.webofscience.com

The Web of Science (WoS; previously known as Web of Knowledge) is a subscription-based service granting access to numerous databases containing reference and citation information from academic journals, conference proceedings, and various scholarly materials spanning multiple fields.

Initially created by the Institute for Scientific Information until 1997, the ownership has since transferred to Clarivate.

Its primary collection comprises 79 million records, with a total of 171 million records available across all databases.

History

A citation index functions by using citations as connections among related scholarly works such as journal articles and conference papers. This methodology facilitates the recognition of seminal research and emerging academic trends by analyzing citation frequency.

Eugene Garfield, who pioneered citation indexing and founded the Science Citation Index—the precursor to the Web of Science—defined citation indexing as a cataloging system that records cited publications alongside their sources. This framework allows scholars to efficiently locate additional pertinent literature through chains of citations.

Coverage

In November 2009, Thomson Reuters broadened the scope of Web of Science by introducing the Century of Social Sciences, which traces social science research back to the early 1900s. Currently, Web of Science indexes materials from 1900 onwards. As of February 2017, it encompasses over one billion cited references, 90 million records, upwards of 12,000 influential journals, and 8.2 million entries from 160,000 conference proceedings—with an annual addition of approximately 15,000 proceedings. Journal inclusion is determined by impact assessments across scientific disciplines, social sciences, arts, and humanities; however, not all journals are covered.

There exists a notable relationship between impact factor and CiteScore metrics; nevertheless, an Elsevier study identified 216 journals ranked within the top 10% by CiteScore that lack an impact factor, suggesting that impact factor alone may not fully represent journal quality. Comparable inconsistencies are observed when comparing impact factor with SCImago Journal Rank.

By September 2014, Web of Science contained over 90 million records and more than 800 million cited references related to 5,300 social science journals covering 55 disciplines. Titles published in foreign languages are translated into English, which restricts search capabilities in their original languages.

In 2018, Web of Science incorporated partial open access status information through integration with Unpaywall. Despite its global reach, both Scopus and WoS have faced criticism for exhibiting bias against research originating outside Western countries, non-English language publications, and scholarship within arts, humanities, and social sciences.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Clarivate terminated all commercial operations within Russia and closed its local office as of March 11, 2022.

Citation databases

<section begin=WoSCore /> The Web of Science Core Collection consists of six principal online citation databases:[1][2]

  • Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) covers more than 9,200 journals across 178 scientific fields from 1900 to present day, encompassing over 53 million records.[3]
  • Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) indexes upwards of 3,400 social science journals dating back to 1900 with over 9.3 million entries.[4]
  • Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) includes more than 1,800 arts and humanities journals starting from 1975 and holds nearly 4.9 million records.[5]
  • Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) comprises over 7,800 multidisciplinary journals from 2005 onward with a collection exceeding three million records.[6]
  • Book Citation Index (BCI) catalogs more than 116,000 editorially selected books since 2005 with upwards of 53.2 million records.[7]
  • Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI) contains over 205,000 conference proceedings dating back to 1990 with more than 70.1 million records.[8]<section end=WoSCore />

Regional citation databases

Since 2008, Web of Science has incorporated multiple regional citation indexes:

  • The Chinese Science Citation Database, created in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was the first indexing resource in a language other than English.
  • Established in 2013, the SciELO Citation Index encompasses Brazil, Spain, Portugal, the Caribbean, South Africa, and twelve other Latin American nations.
  • The Korea Citation Index, launched in 2014, is regularly updated with data from the National Research Foundation of Korea.
  • Initiated in 2015, the Russian Science Citation Index covers scholarly output from Russia.
  • The Arabic Regional Citation Index came into existence in 2020.

Database contents

These seven citation indexes facilitate cited reference searches, enabling users to identify articles that reference particular publications. Searches can be performed by author, subject, journal title, or geographic region. Furthermore, two chemistry-focused databases—Index Chemicus and Current Chemical Reactions—offer support for chemical structure drawings to assist in locating compounds and reactions.

Abstracting and indexing coverage

The index encompasses a wide range of scholarly materials including academic books, peer-reviewed journals, original research papers, reviews, editorials, timelines, and abstracts. Subject areas span agriculture, biological sciences, engineering disciplines, medical and life sciences, physical and chemical sciences, anthropology, law, library science, architecture, as well as performing arts such as dance, music, film, and theater. Coverage is provided comprehensively across these domains by seven citation databases.

Additional databases and offerings

Prominent Web of Science databases include BIOSIS Previews and The Zoological Record—an electronic bibliography of zoological literature that also functions as the informal registry for zoological scientific names.

Clarivate offers a range of data analytics products, workflow solutions, and professional services tailored for researchers, academic institutions, and organizations. These include:

  • EndNote
  • EndNote Click
  • Publons
  • InCites
  • Journal Citation Reports
  • Essential Science Indicators
  • ScholarOne
  • Converis

Constraints of citation analysis

Bibliometrics and scientometrics encounter inherent limitations. Critiques of the journal impact factor point out problems such as uneven citation distributions that favor established journals, disciplinary differences affecting metrics, and vulnerability to editorial practices—leading to an opaque evaluation process.

To enhance precision, journal-level metrics should be complemented by article-specific indicators and peer assessments. Research suggests that the reproducibility of published findings may diminish with higher journal prestige. Thomson Reuters recognizes that no single metric can fully represent scholarly impact and recommends evaluating multiple dimensions of academic achievement.

See also

External links


Further reading

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Web of Science Databases 2018
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Web of Science fact book
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  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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