Database Showdown: Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions Compared! (Spoiler: They're All Different)

Overview

Paper Summary › Explain Like I'm Five › Conflicts of Interest › Identified Limitations › Rating Explanation › Good to know › Topic Hierarchy › File Information ›

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

This study compared the journal coverage of Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions. It found significant differences in coverage, with Web of Science being the most selective and Dimensions the most exhaustive. These differences impact research output volume, rank, global share, and subject area distribution when comparing data from the three databases for various countries.

Explain Like I'm Five

Scientists found that different big lists of science papers are like different libraries. Some libraries have more books than others, so what you find about science depends on which list you check.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified

Identified Limitations

Reliance on Journal Lists

The study's reliance on journal lists for analysis may not fully capture the actual article coverage, as different journals publish varying numbers of articles. This could lead to discrepancies between journal overlap and article overlap percentages.

Simplified Subject Area Mapping

The mapping of subject areas from Scopus and Dimensions to Web of Science's major subject areas is a simplification that may not accurately reflect the granular subject classifications within each database. This could affect the interpretation of subject area distribution comparisons.

Exclusion of Other Publication Types

The study focuses solely on journal coverage and does not consider other publication types like books and conference proceedings, limiting the comprehensiveness of the database comparison.

Restrictive Matching Procedure

The matching procedure used to identify overlapping journals is restrictive and may have missed some matches due to variations in journal titles or spelling across databases. While the impact is estimated to be small, it could still slightly affect the results.

Rating Explanation

This study provides a valuable, up-to-date comparison of journal coverage across three major scientific databases, including the relatively new Dimensions. The methodology is sound, and the analysis is thorough. While there are limitations regarding the use of journal lists and subject area mapping, the findings offer useful insights for researchers and those involved in research assessment.

Good to know

This is the Starter analysis. Paperzilla Pro fact-checks every citation, researches author backgrounds and funding sources, and uses advanced AI reasoning for more thorough insights.

Explore Pro →

Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Social Sciences

Field: Social Sciences

Subfield: Library and Information Sciences

File Information

Original Title: The Journal Coverage of Web of Science, Scopus and Dimensions: A Comparative Analysis

Uploaded: July 14, 2025 at 05:08 PM

Privacy: Public