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Web of Science: Basics and More

This guide provides an overview of Web of Science

Accessing the Updated Web of Science Interface

1. Begin by accessing Web of Science. The current landing page is for older version of Web of Science. Click on the purple "CHECK IT OUT" button to access the newest version of the platform.

2. Search for documents by entering keywords. Add rows for additional terms and select specific fields to search if needed.

Image of Web of Science interface. Purple and white background with white search box in the center

Refining a Keyword Search

1. Below is the search results page for the keyword "Psychology." Add, adjust, and remove terms by clicking inside the search bar that contains your current search strategy. 

Search results page from Web of Science. There are search filters on the left and citation results on the right.

2. Refine search results by selecting filters listed in the Refine results column on the left. Filters include publication year, document type, and publication titles.

List that says Publication Years, Document Types, Web of Science Categories, Authors, Affiliations, Publication Titles, Publishers,  Funding Agencies, and Open AccessList that says Editors, Group Authors, Research Areas, Countries/Regions, Languages, Conference Titles, Book Series Titles, and Web of Science Index

3. Search results are sorted by relevance. Use the drop-down menu next to Relevance (in the gray bar above the results list) to change the sort to other options such as date or highly cited.

Results page with sorting drop down on the right side of the screen. Contains sorting options.

Saving and Exporting Results

1. Select results by clicking the empty box next to the title. Once selected, add them to a marked list or export them. Current export options include EndNote, plain text file, RIS, and Excel. Additional format options will be available in the future. 

Image of a two search results selected with a red box around a button titled "Add to Marked List"

2. Marked items are noted with a purple and white star icon. Access your marked list from the top navigation bar as highlighted in red in the image below.

NOTE: In order to save your marked list for future sessions, you will need to create and sign into an account (see below).

web of science results page with a red box around button titled Marked List. There is a purple number 2 on the button.

Creating a Web of Science Account

  1. Create a Web of Science account to save your search results (for free). This is an easy and convenient way to save your citations and search results. 
  2. Find the Register link in the toolbar at the top right of the screen. You will be asked to enter an email address and a verification number.

          screenshot showing the sign in menu towards the top right of the screen

3. Your name will display on the top right side of the page when you are signed into your account. Click on your name and select the log out option to sign out of your account.

Screenshot of results page after signing in