From indexation policies through citation networks to normalized citation impacts

Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions as varying resonance chambers

Bibliographic Data

ID21441981
AuthorsStephan Stahlschmidt (0000-0003-3390-8632, German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies, corresponding author), Dimity Stephen (0000-0002-7787-6081, German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume127
Issue5
Pages2413-2431
Publication date2022-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScientometrics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0138-9130 • E-ISSN: 1588-2861
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s11192-022-04309-6
OpenAlexW3172817039
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited12

Dimensions was introduced as an alternative bibliometric database to the well-established Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, however all three databases have fundamental differences in coverage and content, resultant from their owners’ indexation philosophies. In light of these differences, we explore here, using a citation network analysis and assessment of normalized citation impact of overlapping publications indexed in all three databases, whether the three databases offer structurally different perspectives of the bibliometric landscape or if they are essentially homogenous substitutes. Our citation network analysis of core and exclusive 2016–2018 publications revealed a large set of core publications indexed in all three databases that are highly self-referential. In comparison, each database selected a set of exclusive publications that appeared to hold similarly low levels of relevance to the core set and to one another, with slightly more internal communication between exclusive publications in Scopus and Dimensions than WoS. Our comparison of normalized citations for 41,848 publications indexed in all three databases found that German sectors were valuated as more impactful in Scopus and Dimensions compared to WoS, particularly for sectors with an applied research focus. We conclude that the databases do present structurally different perspectives, although Scopus and Dimensions with their additional circle of applied research vary more from the more base research-focused WoS than they do from one another

Bibliographic coupling · Citation · Data science · Database · Information retrieval · Informetrics · Library science · MEDLINE · Political science · Relevance (law) · Scientometrics · Scopus · Set (abstract data type) · Web of science · Academic Publishing and Open Access · Biomedical Text Mining and Ontologies · Computer Science · scientometrics and bibliometrics research

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