Citation Searching
Citation searching, also called cited reference searching, is a specialized type of research in which the researcher searches for articles, books, or other materials that have cited or referenced a particular work.
Citation searching can be useful for these purposes:
- To determine the impact of a work on its field by measuring how often it has been cited by other researchers
- To trace the development of a theory or idea as it is cited by subsequent researchers
- To learn more about a published work by discovering any letters to the editor, responses by other researchers, or even retractions.
The best database for citation searching is Web of Science, the database that combines Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index into a single online resource. For many years, Web of Science was the only database that offered this type of searching. However, researchers in business-related fields can now use Business Source Premier to supplement the results found in Web of Science.
QUICK INTRODUCTION TO WEB OF SCIENCE
Web of Science contains the citations from over 8,500 journals in all subjects, from 1985 to present. (The citation being searched may be older, i.e., pre-1985, but only references from 1985 or later will be retrieved.)
On the opening screen, choose the citation indexes and date range to search, then click the Cited Reference Search button.
On the next screen, enter the author's last name and first initial with an asterisk. Next put the year the item was published. NOTE: The "cited work" must be entered in the exact format approved by the database vendor, so we suggest that you skip that step. Click on the Search button.
The next screen shows the list of possible matches to the citation you are searching. Find the entries that appear to represent your citation and click in the checkbox on the left. click on the "View Record" link on the right if you're not sure whether the entry matches your citation. Your citation may be listed more than once due to slight variations in how it was cited. When you have marked the checkboxes, click on the "Finish Search" button.
The next screen shows the list of articles that referenced your citation.
For a more detailed tutorial on Cited Reference Searching, go into the Cited Reference Searching section of Web of Science and click on the link near the upper right corner that says "View our Cited Reference Searching tutorial."
QUICK INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS SOURCE PREMIER
To do a citation search in Business Source Premier, first click on the blue Advanced tab near the top of the page. From the Advanced screen, choose "Cited References" from the list on the right.
You will now see the citation search form; fill in the author's last name and the year of the citation. Hit the Search button.
On the next screen, find your citation in the list and put a check in the box on the left. Then click on the "Find Citing Articles" button.
The next screen shows the results.
