Cited reference searching is a unique research strategy that allows scholars to uncover valuable information:
Trace the history of an idea within a discipline:
Track important researchers, authors, and articles, and more:
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.
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.
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.
Execute a search in Google Scholar. To Search Google Scholar:
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.
Here are some strategies for employing cited references into your research:
Cited reference can be searched in specialized databases, familiar eresources, and even freely on the web:
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.
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:
- 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
OR
ProQuest databases such as Dissertations & Theses
CSA databases such as APA PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts
Here are some strategies for employing cited references into your research: