Medical College of Georgia
Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library
A-Z Index  |  MCG Home  |  Site Search 
Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library at MCG
Home  |  About the Library  |  Resources  |  Guides for...  |  Services  |  Search  |  Ask a Librarian

 

Responsible Literature Searching: Web of Science

RLS Home

Intro to Lit Searching
Searching Techniques
Database Overviews
Points to Remember
Liaison Page
Module Quiz

Core Databases
MEDLINE
CINAHL
Module Quiz
Evidence-Based Practice
PICO Model
Cochrane Databases
Point of Care Resources
Module Quiz
Medical References
eBooks
Micromedex Overview
Micromedex Disease
Module Quiz
Citation Searching
Web of Knowledge
Journal Citation Reports
Related Article Search
Module Quiz
Drug References
Drug Safety Overview
Micromedex Resources
TOXNET Databases
PubChem
Module Quiz
Desktop Article Access
Find It@MCG
eJournals
Module Quiz
References & Credits

Web of Science is a scholarly research literature database in the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. It searches both Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index. Web of Science is accessible through the Web of Knowledge platform from the Library web site Quick Links.

Web of Science

 Web of Science Search Strengths

  • Articles from 8,600 science and technical journals

  • Web of Science database searches articles that focus on the basic sciences

    • Articles not indexed in MEDLINE are available through this resource

  • Refine Results allows users to search within results as well as narrow down results using specific categories including subject area, document type, author, publication years, and language.

  • Research on medical devices or computer applications in medical care are often published in specialty journals of different disciplines

  • Focuses on the references or citations at the end of a scientific paper

  • Utilize key article as a search term:

    • Tracking and linking between papers that share same references

    • Link papers that cite one another

  • Links article to previous and succeeding research on specific topics

  • Can track citations for a known author(s) works to view an individual’s impact on field

  • Marked List is a feature that holds records that were selected from the summary list of results or the full record. Multiple marked lists can be created when accessing individual databases, such as ‘Web of Science Records’, or the ‘All Database Records’.

  • Create Citation Alert allows authors to create an e-mail alert each time an article is cited in a new article. An RSS feed can also be created to view new articles. Authors can set up a "My Cited Articles List" for multiple articles.

  • Citation Report feature shows how many citations were made each year to any items in the set. It shows which years produced the largest number of citing articles and which years produced the smallest number.

    • Not available from a search containing more than 10,000 articles

Web of Science Search Cautions

  • Largest retrieval set is 100,000

  • Keyword searching only

    • Must use common and medical terms to increase retrieval

  • Web of Science database searches both Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index unless you indicate differently using the limits

  • Authors may use different keywords or endings:

    • Should use truncation symbol (example: Wagner P*) for additional results

    • Click on the magnifying glass graphic for search help

  • Journals must be searched by exact title or official abbreviation:

    • Different search parameters according to search screen

    • Click on the magnifying glass graphic for additional help

  • Must select articles to saved list to view abstracts or sort as needed

  • When viewing a citation record use the “back to results list” link or a warning appears that the page has expired

  • Only minimal limits are available to focus the search:

    • Publication Date

    • Language

    • Title Only

    • Subject Category

    • Source Title

    • Authors

    • Counties/Territories

    • Institutions

  • Cited References searching can be unclear:

    • Author may have common name

    • Author may change name during career

    • Cited reference searches are only available through Web of Science

  • Overlap with MEDLINE; no mechanism to easily filter out duplicate citations

Back

Next: Journal Citation Reports