Search Citation Indices: Cited References

What is Cited Reference Searching?

Cited reference searching refers to the act of searching for works which were included in another work's bibliography or reference list. 

Why Search 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 built
• 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

How to Search Cited References

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

• One of the best places to conduct cited reference searches is in the Simmons database called Scopus. Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, containing over 22,000 titles from over 5,000 publishers. Scopus includes a host of tools to track, analyze and visualize research trends.
• Another research tool that allows cited reference searching is Google Scholar. While cited reference information is not a systematic as Scopus, 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 Ultimate 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.

Why search here?

Scopus indexes scholarly articles, providing full citations and abstracts of research output from the most respected and highly-cited journals, across the disciplines, from science and mathematics to arts and humanities. You can track ideas by following links to cited articles, view article metrics to get a view of the perceived impact of individual articles, and examine larger trends in research by using Scopus's robust analysis and visualization tools.

What's included?

Content from over 5,000 publishers from around the world. Click the green link that says "Find Full-Text" to determine if the library has access to the article. Remember, if we do not have the entire article, it can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.

Finding Articles By Author, Title, Journal, or Topic

Search Scopus like any other Library database for articles by specific authors, within specific journals, about specific topics, or with specific titles:

1. Select Scopus from the A-Z List of databases on the Library website.
2. Scopus will default to a Document search, where you can mix and match search parameters (Article Title, Source Title, Keywords, etc.) to locate specific articles.
3. Click Search.
4. Use Refine Results tools to limit your results by Year, Author Name, Subject Area, Document Type, Source Title, Keyword, Affiliation, Country/territory, Source Type, and Language..
5. Click Analyze Search Results to view analysis and visualizations of the search results based around: Year, Source, Author, Affiliation, Country/Territory, Document type, and Subject area.
6. Back in your results page, you can choose to sort by Date, Cited by, Relevance, First Author, and Source Title.
7. Click on a title in the Results list to see more information about each article.
8. Click on Find Full Text to see if Simmons provides access to articles you would like to read.

Finding Articles By Cited Reference

One you have discovered some relevant articles and publications, explore cited and citing references to find more on your topic. Most databases allow you to link backwards to items cited in a particular article. Scopus takes this idea one step further, allowing you to easily link forwards to articles which cite your selected article. These features allow you to gain a more coherent view of the scholarly landscape on a subject, by seeing how articles and studies build off one another.

1. Use Article Title, Source Title, Keywords, etc. to identify relevant articles and publications.
2. Click on the Title in the Results List to view a full citation.
3. You can view a partial list of documents which cited your selected document in a box on the right side of the screen.
4. Click on the View All number link to view all the publications that have cited the selected document.
5. If the work cites 1 or more publication, a list of the cited works will be at the bottom-left of the page under the heading, References.

Source Metrics

Finding out what sources cite a work and how often is also useful in determining how influential it is within a scholarly discipline. The more times a source has been cited, the more respected OR controversial the publication likely is; however, if the work was just published, the number will not be high because there has not been enough time for a published responses to be generated:

1. Select Scopus from the A-Z List of Databases on the Library website.
2. Scopus will default to a Document search, where you can mix and match search parameters (Article Title, Source Title, Keywords, etc.) to locate specific articles.
3. Enter as much information as you can for cited resource you would like to track, including Cited Author, Cited Work, and Cited Year(s).
4. Click on the Title in the Results List to view a full citation.
5. Click Metrics to view both Scopus and PlumX metrics.
   • Scopus metrics include data on: citation of the work by year, Citation Impact, and Citation Benchmarking, which compares how citations for this work compare to similar articles.
   • PlumX metrics shows how people are interacting with this work online, through usage numbers pulled from Ebsco, social media mentions, mentions in non-scholarly works, as well as scholarly citation figures.
6. You can also search for an author to track the citation history of all his/her scholarly publications.

Author Metrics

If there is a author you keep coming across or want to know how frequently they have been cited by other scholars, try searching by Authors in Scopus:

1. Select Scopus from the A-Z List of Databases on the Library website.
2. Click on the tab that reads Authors.
3. You can search by name, ORCID number, and affiliation.
4. Click on the author's name to view the full set of metrics. This includes lists of documents, collaborators, and links to additional metrics and visualizations.
5. Click Analyze author output to view analysis and visualizations regarding the author's Documents, h-index, Citations, and Co-authors.

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 Search in the left navigation bar
• 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.

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, 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.