Who else is doing research in my field? What other important publications are there? How do I find the right journal to publish my research? A search in Web of Science can help answer these questions.
Origins, services and access
Web of Science (WoS) was developed in the USA in the 1950s as ISI Web of Knowledge by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). WoS offers access to a large number of scientific online citation and literature databases and therefore, in comparison to subject-specific databases, the possibility of a parallel and interdisciplinary search. The contents are updated weekly. You can access the database via your university library's license. Web of Science is available to TU Graz members campus-wide or via VPN.
What does Web of Science include?
The WoS Core Collection is a curated, interdisciplinary citation index and contains the references of more than 21,000 journals. It also includes a large number of conference proceedings and books. The selection is made according to strict guidelines by an independent editorial team and is entirely publisher-neutral. All sources are indexed cover-to-cover including all authors and affiliations. The linking of individual references enables seamless navigation in the citation network.
The main components of the WoS Core Collection are:
- Science Citation Index Expanded, formerly Science Citation Index, from the year 1900 onwards
- Social Sciences Citation Index from1900 onwards
- Arts and Humanities Citation Index from 1975 onwards
- Emerging Sources Citation Index from 2005 onwards
- Conference Proceedings Citation Index with approx. 200,000 indexed conferences since 1990
- Book Citation Index with approx. 111,000 indexed books as of 2005
Also searchable are for example:
- Subject-specific databases such as BIOSIS Citation Index and Medline
- Patent data in the Derwent World Patents Index
- Open Access documents with corresponding funding data
In addition, access to regional citation databases is possible, e.g. the KCI-Korean Journal Database and others.
Journal Citation Reports and Journal Impact Factor
The journals from the Science Citation Index Expanded and the Social Science Citation Index form the basis for the annual Journal Citation Reports. This evaluation examines and publishes information on the journals themselves as well as on the citations of the indexed journals in the past year.
The Journal Impact Factor is a calculated number whose value attempts to reflect the importance of scientific journals. It provides information on how often the articles of a particular journal are cited in other scientific publications on average per year. Impact factors are often used to assess scientific publication performance.
Useful functions
Using the citations of an article, the "Cited References", the research development can be followed retrospectively, citation analyses become possible (Who cites whom? Who is cited by whom?). In contrast, the "Cited Reference Search" (articles that have cited an article) can also be used to track research development prospectively. Furthermore, "Related Records" can be used to search for articles with the greatest possible similarities in citations.
The search can be carried out simultaneously and interdisciplinary in several databases or targeted in a single subject database. After registration, personalization is possible. For example, search queries can be saved, individual entry pages can be created, e-mail alerts can be set up for new entries or new citations, and much more.
Further offers from Web of Science
In the WoS Researcher Profiles, profiles for researchers, peer reviewers and editors can be displayed and accessed. They are also a source for the author profiles in WoS. With the WoS My Research Assistant app, WoS is also accessible on mobile devices. In addition, WoS offers a large number of recommended tutorials and webinars to help you.
If you have any questions about Web of Science, your university library will be happy to help you. At Graz University of Technology, you can reach the library by phone at 0316/873 6176, or by e-mail at service.bibliothek@tugraz.at. We are also happy to advise you personally at the main library or one of our subject libraries.
Links
Web of Science Webinars
Web of Science Tutorials
Web of science via DBIS
Working with Web of Science - an overview
Who else is doing research in my field? What other important publications are there? How do I find the right journal to publish my research? A search in Web of Science can help answer these…
