Scopus

Abstract

For subject coverage, the physical sciences are most heavily covered and represented by 5,500 source titles; health sciences are not far behind with 5,300 titles (including 100% coverage of MEDLINE titles), followed by life sciences at 3,400 titles, and social sciences at 2,850 titles. The easily navigable Scopus search interface is visually pleasing to the eye, with a clean look, soft colors, and links to search tips and help features.

Scopus. Elsevier, Radarweg 29, 1043NX Amsterdam, The Netherlands; [email protected]; www .scopus.com; pricing available on request.

Scopus, according to Elsevier, is the "world's largest abstract and indexing database," with content coverage of scientific, technical, medical, and social science literature. Here are the numbers: Scopus provides access to over 15,000 peer-reviewed titles from more than 4,000 publishers including over 12,850 academic journals, 28 million abstract records, 13 million patent records, and 250 million scientific Web pages. Regarding dates of coverage, Scopus's abstract records go as far back as 1966, while references only date back to 1996. For subject coverage, the physical sciences are most heavily covered and represented by 5,500 source titles; health sciences are not far behind with 5,300 titles (including 100% coverage of MEDLINE titles), followed by life sciences at 3,400 titles, and social sciences at 2,850 titles.

The easily navigable Scopus search interface is visually pleasing to the eye, with a clean look, soft colors, and links to search tips and help features. Scopus defaults to the basic search page, where users are presented with two text entry boxes, each with a drop down menu to specify the particular search field. Users can select the appropriate Boolean operator for their search from a drop-down menu to the left of the text boxes. The basic search limiters are few; Scopus allows users to specify the date range, document type, and subject area in which to search. Considering the number of international journal titles indexed in Scopus, it is frustrating that basic searches cannot be easily limited by language. Scopus includes English language abstracts for non-English language articles. The author search option is straightforward: users enter the author's last name and first initial or first name, if available.

Searchers wishing to construct more complex search strategies can use the advanced search option. This area presents a large text box where users can enter their searches using Boolean operators or codes that Scopus provides to search specific fields. The advanced search feature is not intuitive. The field codes are complicated and cumbersome to use, although they allow the user many more limits than are available for the basic search.

A "Search Tips" link is located directly above the search box on each of the three search pages and takes the user to the specific search tips area in the larger Help menu. The Help menu is quite broad and includes online Scopus video tutorials in addition to the text only links.

In their informational brochure, For Librarians: The Big Book of Scopus, Scopus states that their abstracts, references, and bibliographic data are "Indexed by a team of experts, using controlled vocabularies from major databases, including ... MeSH terms." It says that these controlled vocabularies are used in addition to author keywords. However, in the database, it is extremely difficult to find any mention of or reference to Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms. In viewing the complete citation information, only author keywords are provided.

The result of a Scopus search returns a wealth of information. Results are organized by tabs: Scopus, Web (via the Scirus search engine), and Patents, with the Scopus results displayed by default. Directly above the search results is a "Refine Results" area, which gives the searcher a quick overview of the search results. Here, users can easily refine their search by clicking on "limit to" or "exclude" for selected categories such as Source Title, Author Name, and Year. For results, five columns across the page contain the following information for each citation retrieved: Document Title, Author, Date, Source Title, and Cited By. Citations are listed in date order, with the most recent articles listed first, although users can quickly sort results by clicking on one of the column headings. Additionally, above the search results, Scopus provides a text box to "search within these results," allowing users to add another keyword or search for a specific author. Finally, a Search History is listed at the bottom of each of the three search screens (basic, author, and advanced), listing the most recent fifty searches from the current session, with options to edit, save, or set an alert for each search. Overall, Scopus provides users with great flexibility in sorting and displaying search results to meet individual needs.

From the results list, users can access links to article abstracts, references, and the full text, if available. Individual institution database administrators can set up Scopus linking options to connect users from Scopus to full-text articles they are entitled to view as well as their library catalog. Additionally, other resources or services can be linked to this area, such as interlibrary loan or links to the Library of Congress catalog, for example.

At the bottom of the search results page, Scopus provides links to Output, Citation Tracker, and Add to List. The Output link gives users the opportunity to print or email citations, create a bibliography using RefWorks, or export citations in RIS format for other bibliographic management (e.g., EndNote). The Citation Tracker allows users to select citations from their results, and Scopus creates a tabular citation overview of the selected documents. Finally, Add to List lets searchers create a temporary list of specific citations to display, print, or save. Users can register with Scopus to create a personal account designed to save searches or create search alerts or document citation alerts.

One of the most recognizable features of Scopus is its ability to provide cited information for articles; in other words, Scopus provides a list of articles that cite the article in your search results. Prior to the launch of Scopus in late 2004, ISI's Web of Science was the only multidisciplinary database that provided citation searching and had no significant competition. With Scopus putting itself in the citation searching arena, users now have a choice as to which product they prefer for this type of search. Web of Science and Scopus differ in their dates of coverage, number of indexed journals, and number of international and open access journals. Searchers should keep in mind that citation searching in Web of Science covers a much longer time span. Scopus indexes some journals since 1966, while Web of Science covers as far back as 1900 for citations as well as journals in the sciences.

Scopus offers a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate interface. The database is most useful for researchers interested in literature from the physical and health sciences; Scopus provides the most journal coverage in these areas. Scopus offers a practical alternative to Web of Science and may be more useful for citation searching in recent years, due to its limited citation coverage of references prior to 1996.