It used to be that if you wanted to do cited reference searching you went to one resource—Web of Science®. Today, multiple resources are available. Recent players entering the cited reference arena include Scopus™, Google™ Scholar, and PsycINFO®.

In a previous feature—Cited Reference Searching: Scopus and Web of Science Offer Options—we presented information on how to perform quick searches using Scopus and Web of Science. In this feature, we present additional techniques and databases that can aid in comprehensive cited reference searching.

Scopus
Covering peer-reviewed science, technology, medicine, and social sciences journals, Scopus provides cited reference information back to 1996. To ensure comprehensive cited reference searching in Scopus, you may first need to identify all variations of an author's name.

On August 27, a search was conducted in Scopus to determine the number of articles citing publications by Barry N. Vogelstein of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. The author search option retrieved multiple entries for "Vogelstein, B." To use this approach, which leads to a more accurate "times cited" number:

1. Go to the NIH Library website, http://nihlibrary.nih.gov.
2. Click on Scopus (on the left frame under Quick Links).
3. Click on the "Author Search" tab.
4. Enter the author's last name and first name, or initials, in the appropriate query boxes (e.g., vogelstein b.).
5. Click on "Search."

The variations were "Vogelstein, B.," "Barry N.," and "Bert." The "Vogelstein, Barry N." entry is the most useful as it lists aliases of Vogelstein's name and indicates that he is the author or coauthor of more than 300 articles. Clicking on "Details" to the right of the author name opens a detailed portfolio. The primary Author ID for Vogelstein is 7101910062; papers for which Vogelstein is the first author or coauthor have been cited more than 54,000 times; and the affiliation history assists in confirming the author's identity.

To verify the author name entries for Vogelstein, and the associated cited references, return to the previous search and:

1. Select the author name by checking the box on the left.
2. Click on the "Show documents" button above the "Document" column heading. A list of articles by the author displays. 
3. Note the number of times each article has been cited (under the "Cited By" column on the right).
4. View the citing articles by clicking on the "Cited By" number.
5. Export, print, email, or create a bibliography of the citing articles.

A few of the papers listed are authored or coauthored by a Bert Vogelstein but have a different Author ID. These papers should be included when tallying the number of times the author has been cited, if they reference the correct B. Vogelstein. Scopus provides a "Feedback" button on the Author Results page for correction suggestions on author IDs and outlying papers.

Google Scholar
Another cited reference tool is Google Scholar, a freely available resource that allows researchers to compare citations and identify citing papers outside of traditional journals indexed by Web of Science and Scopus. 

Information in the Help section states that "Google Scholar covers peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts, and other scholarly literature from all broad areas of research. You'll find works from a wide variety of academic publishers and professional societies, as well as scholarly articles available across the web. Google Scholar may also include multiple versions of an article, possibly preliminary, which you may be able to access."

A quick search using the query—author:"b vogelstein"—retrieved 1,160 summary records, each containing a "Cited by #" link. Variations on the author name retrieved additional links: author:"bn vogelstein" = 3 hits; author:"barry vogelstein" = 1 hit; and author:"bert vogelstein" = 395 hits.

PsycINFO
Access to PsycINFO is available for NIH staff. From the NIH Library website, mouse over Research Tools on the green menu bar and select Databases from the drop-down menu. Select PsycINFO, then select "PsycINFO 1806 to" the most current date.

A cited reference search in PsycINFO on the author Marshal F. Folstein (a researcher also affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) retrieved more than 7,800 hits. To search for this author, type folstein m f.rf. in the default keyword search box. The ".rf." tag is used to search for cited references with that author name. To be comprehensive, drop the middle initial and conduct an author search for folstein m.rf. This search produces 10,500 hits when combined with the first search using the OR operator. A manual search of each article's references would be necessary to determine whether one has the correct M. Folstein.

Comparing Results
In Scopus, Marshal F. Folstein is cited more than 24,000 times. The discrepancy in numbers is due to journal coverage: Scopus covers a broader range of journals than PsycINFO. Differences in scope and the inclusion of unique journal titles are good reasons to use multiple databases when conducting a cited reference search.

For Assistance
For questions about the databases mentioned in this article or about comprehensive cited reference searching, contact the NIH Librarians at 301-496-1080. You may also submit questions via the Ask A Librarian service or email nihlibrary@nih.gov.

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