Searching for Science: a comparison of Web of Science and Scopus

1

• Searching for Science a comparison of Web of
  Science and Scopus
• Linda Humphreys
• University of Bath

2
Introduction

• Content
• Currency
• Author Searching
• Keyword Searching
• Citation Searching

3
Content

• WoS
• 8,700 journals
• All subject areas
• Conferences in ISI Proceedings
• Patents in Derwent Inovations Index
• Scopus
• 14,000 journals
• Sciences and Social Sciences
• Conferences included
• Patents searched separately

4
Content WoS

• SCI 1900- (abstracts from 1991 and
• keywords from 1991)
• SSCI 1956- (abstracts from 1992 and
• keywords from 1991)
• AHCI 1975- (abstracts from 2000 and
• keywords from 1991)

5
Content Scopus

• Publisher-submitted records 1996-
• PubMed records 1966-
• Content from other Elsevier databases
• Embase 1970- - Fluidex 1974-
• Compendex 1970- - Geobase 1980-
• World Textile Index 1970-
• Biobase 1994-
• Source Deis and Goodman, 2005

6
Content
7
Content
8
Content
9
Currency
10
Currency
11
(No Transcript)
12
Author searching
13
Author searching
14
Author searching

• Certain authors are impossible to find using
  either database (e.g. Wang, Smith)
• Usual solution author affiliation
• Affiliation is not always present
• Affiliation is not linked to author
• WoS does have an authority file for affiliation

15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
Keyword searching

• Neither database has a thesaurus
• WoS has keywords plus
• Scopus adds author keywords plus some indexing
  terms from other Elsevier databases and PubMed
• Scopus also adds CAS numbers from Embase and
  PubMed

19
Aspirin sensitivity Implications for patients
with coronary artery disease Gollapudi, R.R.
2004 JAMA 292 (24) 3017 Abstracts are the same.
Web of Science - Keywords PRACTICE GUIDELINES
COMMITTEE ASSOCIATION TASK-FORCE ST-SEGMENT
ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION ANTIPLATELET
THERAPY ACC/AHA GUIDELINES AMERICAN-COLLEGE
ORAL CHALLENGE INDUCED ASTHMA PREVENTION
20
Aspirin sensitivity Implications for patients
with coronary artery disease Gollapudi, R.R.
2004 JAMA 292 (24) 3017
SCOPUS EMTREE drug terms acetylsalicylic
acid EMTREE medical terms coronary artery
disease MeSH Desensitization, Immunologic, Drug
HypersensitivityMedline is the source for the
MeSH terms of this document. Chemicals and CAS
Registry Numbers acetylsalicylic acid, 493-53-8,
50-78-2, 53663-74-4, 53664-49-6, 63781-77-1
ticlopidine, 53885-35-1, 55142-85-3 warfarin,
129-06-6, 2610-86-8, 3324-63-8, 5543-58-8,
81-81-2 Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
Aspirin, 50-78-2 cyclooxygenase 1, EC 1.14.99.-
Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors Isoenzymes Platelet
Aggregation Inhibitors Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide
Synthase, EC 1.14.99.1 Tradenames Drug
tradename aspirin.
21
Bulimia from a gynecological view hormonal
changes Resch, M.a d , Szendei, G.b , Haász, P.c
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Volume 24,
Issue 8, November 2004, Pages 907-910 (PubMed)
MH - Algorithms MH - Anaphylaxis/chemically
induced MH - Angioneurotic Edema/chemically
induced MH - Anti-Inflammatory Agents,
Non-Steroidal/adverse effects/immunology/th
erapeutic use MH - Aspirin/adverse
effects/immunology/therapeutic use MH -
Asthma/chemically induced MH - Coronary
Arteriosclerosis/prevention control MH -
Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors/adverse
effects/immunology/therapeutic use MH -
Desensitization, Immunologic MH - Drug
Hypersensitivity/epidemiology/physiopathology/prev
ention control MH - Humans MH -
Isoenzymes/antagonists inhibitors MH -
Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/adverse
effects/immunology/therapeutic use MH -
Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthase MH -
Rhinitis/chemically induced MH -
Urticaria/chemically induced
22
Keyword searching

• Differences in interpretation of search
• e.g. Needle exchange
• WoS Phrase search needle exchange
• Scopus needle AND exchange

23
Keyword searching

• Scopus automatic truncation
• entering criterion will locate criteria and
  criterion
• Horse 38,667 hits
• Horses 38,667 hits
• Behaviour 324,286 hits
• Behavior 903,878 hits
• Behav - 1,321,763 hits

24
Citation searching
25
Citation searching

• King, M.C. and Wilson, A.C. 1975. Evolution at
  two levels in humans and chimpanzees. Science
  188, 107-116.
• WoS 782 citations (inc. 10 mis-citations)
• Scopus 232 citations

26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
Summary

• Scopus needs to fill in gaps in coverage and
  provide more information on coverage
• Both databases need to improve author searching
• Scopus is better for keyword searching
• WoS is better for citation searching

30
Conclusion

• Dont cancel WoK, buy Scopus if you can
• Deis, L.F. and Goodman, D. 2005. Web of Science
  (2004 version) and Scopus. The Charleston
  Advisor. vol.6, no.3. http//charlestonco.com/co
  mp.cfm?id43