Cited References Search

Cited Reference Search can be used to trace the impact and dissemination of academic publications by identifying where and how often a specific work has been cited by other researchers.

This type of search allows scholars to follow the intellectual trajectory of ideas, track the influence of particular studies, and understand the development of research themes over time.

By examining cited references, researchers can map the interconnections between various studies and identify seminal works within a field.

A number of databases offer robust cited reference search capabilities, each with distinctive features and coverage. Among the most prominent databases are:

• Web of Science (WoS): Known for its comprehensive coverage of scientific and scholarly journals, WoS provides detailed citation data and allows users to perform extensive cited reference searches.
  
  The Cited References search in WoS enables users to track how frequently and where specific articles, books, and authors have been cited in publications that are indexed by WoS. It also allows users to find out the cited reference variants due to inconsistency in citation format such as incorrect spelling, wrong year, missing volume/issue number, as well as locate cited references that not indexed as WoS also searches the References of indexed content.
  
  Read our guide on Using Cited References Search in Web of Science
   
• Scopus:  Scopus offers a comprehensive range of academic journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters, with citation tracking and analysis tools that assist researchers in evaluating the impact of specific publications.
  
  When viewing the search results in Scopus, you can see the number of times a publication has been cited. A click on the number will connect you to the citing articles. 
   
• Google Scholar: Google Scholar is less formal and structured than Web of Science and Scopus, yet it is widely used due to its accessibility and broad scope. It includes citations from a variety of academic and non-academic sources.
  
  Google Scholar has a Cited by feature built into the results of any search. A click on the number will connect you to the citing articles. 
   
• EBSCOhost: EBSCOhost databases cover a wide range of subjects in the education, arts and literature, humanities, language and linguistics, social sciences, etc. 
  
  When viewing results in EBSCOhost, you will see Times Cited in this Database if a publication has been cited. A click on the number will connect you to the citing articles. 
   
• Proquest: ProQuest databases provide access to a vast collection of scholarly articles, dissertations, and other academic resources across multiple disciplines.
  
  When viewing the search results in Proquest, you will see Times Cited if a publication has been cited. A click on the number will connect you to the citing articles. 

Using cited references search is essential for several reasons:

1. Identifying Influential Research: By examining how often a work is cited, researchers can identify key studies that have significantly impacted a field.
    
2. Tracing Research Development: Cited reference search helps track how research topics evolve over time, revealing the progression of ideas and the development of theories. If the article has been cited, the database will provide a link to the citing articles/authors. It also helps to find out how a particular research topic is being used to support other research.
    
3. Evaluating Research Impact: Citation metrics are often used to assess the impact and relevance of individual researchers or specific publications, which are crucial for academic evaluations, promotions, and tenure decisions. Keeping track of how many times and where a publication is being cited can help you gauge the impact that article has in your discipline.
    
4. Finding Related Research: Researchers can discover new studies that build on previous works, facilitating a deeper understanding of a topic and uncovering connections between different areas of research.
    
5. Understanding Research Networks: By analysing who cites whom, scholars can map out networks of researchers and institutions, shedding light on collaborations and the spread of knowledge across disciplines.
    

To researchers, it is also very useful to:

• track the history of a research idea
• track the research history of a researcher
• determine how well your own published research is cited for promotion/tenure considerations