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Searching Web of Science

Why use Web of Science (or other science-focused databases)?

Research databases such as Web of Science can improve the efficiency of your search for research articles over more general resources, such as Google, by eliminating non-scholarly results and by providing additional search features to help you narrow your search down to the most relevant articles. This tutorial will focus on Web of Science, a widely used STEM database. Some of the key features include:

  • STEM focused: Includes articles from a broad range of journals and conference proceedings across all STEM fields
  • Research focused: Search results include only peer-reviewed and other scholarly research publications, such as conference proceedings and review articles.
  • Additional search features: Helpful features allow you to narrow results down to specific topics, authors, institutions, types of papers, and other details.
  • Citation tracking: A key feature is the ability to track citations to and within an article. This will help you find additional research that is most relevant to your topic.

More tips for making the best use of Web of Science are below.

For more help finding STEM research, contact your subject librarian.

Accessing the Web of Science

You can access Web of Science by clicking on the link below, or:

  • Click on Databases above the search box on the homepage of the library
  • Click on Web of Science: Core Collection (under the "Most popular databases")
  • Login with your Bison Login. 

Searching the Web of Science

Below is a video showing basic searching of the Web of Science. This will give you a quick overview; for more advanced guidance, see the playlist below.

For more tips on searching Web of Science:

Or contact your subject librarian to schedule a consultation on how to search the database.