Using Cited References: Cited References

Cited reference searching is a unique research strategy that allows scholars to uncover valuable information: 

Trace the history of an idea within a discipline:

• Uncover more recent articles which update earlier research
• Find responses to an article
• Discover earlier publications to which an article is responding or upon which it is building
• Identify other articles on the same topic as the original work

Track important researchers, authors, and articles, and more:

• Determine how influential an article or author has been based on citation frequency
• Measure how respected a journal is based on how often its articles are cited
• Identify dominant, favored, and debunked ideas within a field based on citation histories
• Discover articles and authors that transcend across disciplines based on in which publications they are cited

This page will show offer resources that allow you to use cited references in your searching, and discuss how to use them for this purpose.

Why search here?

Use this free, web-based source to find scholarly articles and books from many disciplines. Be aware that Google Scholar is not comprehensive in its coverage of any one discipline, nor are the publications included systematically chosen. It is a fantastic tool for interdisciplinary research and a wonderful companion to traditional library databases.

What's included?

Many results link to freely available full text, others include a link to check full text availability from the Simmons University Library. Remember, if we do not have the entire article, it can be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Also notice the citations listing: in each search result, there will be a link that says "Cited by 55" or "Cited by 32". Click that link to see articles that cited the article you've found, or search for articles you've found elsewhere using Google Scholar to see where they've been cited (again, this resource is ideally used in addition to other library resources.

Finding Articles by Cited Reference

Execute a search in Google Scholar. To Search Google Scholar:

• Navigate to Google Scholar
• Click on Advanced Scholar Search
• Enter search terms in the fields labeled Find Articles to search by topic
• To find citations for publications by a specific scholar, enter his or her name in the field labeled Author - Return articles written by
• To see citations for contents with a specific publication, enter a journal or book title in the field labeled Publication - Return articles published in
• To see books and articles published within a date range, specify dates in the field labeled Date - Return articles published between
• Combine any or all of these searches to create a search

Many of the results listed for your search will include a link citing publications. It will read Cited by [#] The number indicates the number of other sources indexed by Google Scholar that have cited the publication. From within the results list in Google Scholar, click on Cited by [#] to see the specific publications that have cited an article.

Exploring Cited References

Here are some strategies for employing cited references into your research:

• Publications that have been cited by a high number of other publications are considered integral to the dialogue on the topic they cover. Compare your article to similar articles published around the same time to see how it compares.
• Evaluate how your article is treated by citing reference. Is it referred to favorably, rebuked negatively, or is its argument considered a building block in a growing body of knowledge.
• Find out what other publications are cited by a source that cites your article. These are likely also relevant to dialogue on the topic.
• Also, check out the references, footnotes, or works cited of your article for related articles and earlier threads of the scholarly dialogue.

Cited reference can be searched in specialized databases, familiar eresources, and even freely on the web: 

• The most traditional place to conduct cited reference searches is in the Simmons database called Scopus Index. It can be searched like any other database for articles by topic or author, but its unique functionality is to enable citation searching and exploration.
• Another research tool that allows cited reference searching is Google Scholar. While cited reference information is not a systematic as Scopus Index, it is based on a vast index of scholarly books and articles, so it is often useful to consult the two in collaboration with one another.
• Many standard databases like Academic Search Complete and APA PsycInfo include cited reference search capabilities. While these are not as comprehensive as Scopus Index, they are integrated into the searches you are already doing.

Many standard databases like Academic Search Complete and APA PsycInfo include cited reference search capabilities. While these are not as comprehensive as Scopus, they are integrated into the searches you are already doing.

Finding Cited References in Simmons Databases

Many of the Simmons Databases offer information about cited references, most are embedded in standard results lists:

EBSCO databases such as Academic Search Ultimate, Medline, LISTA and Business Source Premier:

• Click on Cited Reference
• Enter a search:

• To find citations for publications by a specific scholar, enter his or her name in the field labeled Cited author
• To see citations for contents with a specific publication, enter a journal or book title in the field labeled Cited Source
• To see citations for a specific article, enter the title in the field labeled Cited Title
• To see books and articles published within a date range, specify dates in the field labeled Cited Year
• To see citations for an element in any part of a citation, enter a keyword in the field labeled All Citation Fields
• Combine any or all of these searches to create a search

• Click Search
• Mark the citations for publications for which you wish to view citing articles
• Click Find Citing Articles
• NOTE: This function only identifies articles indexed within the database you are searching that cite your article. This is NOT comprehensive.

OR

• Execute a search
• Click on the Times Cited in this Database (#) to view citations of publications that have cited the article; not all citations will include this link
• NOTE: This function only identifies articles indexed within the database you are searching that cite your article. This is NOT comprehensive.

ProQuest databases such as Dissertations & Theses

• Execute a search
• Click on the (#) references to view citations of publications that have cited the article; not all citations will include this link
• NOTE: This function only identifies articles indexed within the database you are searching that cite your article. This is NOT comprehensive.

CSA databases such as APA PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts

• Execute a search
• Click on the Cited by (#) to view citations of publications that have cited the article; not all citations will include this link
• NOTE: This function only identifies articles indexed within the database you are searching that cite your article. This is NOT comprehensive.

Exploring Cited References

Here are some strategies for employing cited references into your research:

• Publications that have been cited by a high number of other publications are considered integral to the dialogue on the topic they cover. Compare your article to similar articles published around the same time to see how it compares.
• Evaluate how your article is treated by citing reference. Is it referred to favorably, rebuked negatively, or is its argument considered a building block in a growing body of knowledge.
• Find out what other publications are cited by a source that cites your article. These are likely also relevant to dialogue on the topic.
• Also, check out the references, footnotes, or works cited of your article for related articles and earlier threads of the scholarly dialogue.