Beginning January 2018, the HS/HSL will no longer license Web of Science, an abstract and citation database that includes Journal Citation Reports (JCR). A comparable database, Scopus, provides similar information to Web of Science. Since the Library can no longer afford to provide access to both resources, and because Web of Science was used much less often than Scopus, it was identified as a resource to discontinue. The rising cost of library resources combined with a flat resources budget resulted in this difficult decision.

Fortunately, the Library will continue to provide access to a comparable database, Scopus. It is the largest scholarly literature database available, offering researchers the ability to search across all disciplines, including basic sciences, social sciences, health sciences, and much more. Like Web of Science, Scopus allows searchers to discover documents that cite articles and view reference lists cited within articles. Scopus also offers tools for evaluating both individual and institutional scholarly output.

Alternatives to Journal Citation Reports (JCR), which allows researchers to determine the impact factor of a journal, are also available. Eigenfactor uses the same underlying data as Journal Citation Reports to rank journals within their disciplines. CiteScore uses Scopus data to provide journal rankings. Both metrics are freely available.

To learn more about Scopus and other options for evaluating the impact of research, please contact the Faculty Librarian for your School.