Vol. 18, No. 1Sept. 3, 1998

The Web of Science now available at UD Library

The Web of Science, a large citation database available at only a select number of universities, is now accessible at the University Library by UD faculty, students and staff.

Covering the years from1974 to the present, The Web of Science links references to journal articles and footnotes to related articles across disciplines and across publishers.

The powerful technology of The Web of Science unlocks remarkable searchable capabilities and enables library users to search further, faster and more comprehensively than ever before. The links inherent in citation data (the footnotes of each article) allow a library user to take known, relevant journal articles and find other, more recent articles that cite it.

The Web of Science is the only database that indexes, links and delivers valuable footnote information from the world's leading science, social sciences and arts and humanities journals. The ability to search citation data transforms the maze of interlocking articles from a puzzle into an opportunity to benefit from a navigation and exploration system that closely resembles natural thought processes.

The Web of Science, a product published by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI), includes the ISI databases, Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index and Arts & Humanities Citation Index.

"The size and breadth of the database going back to 1974 makes The Web of Science even more useful," said Susan Brynteson, library. "Going backward and forward in time over research data covering more than two decades reveals hidden links and relationships."

"The Web of Science adds unmatched power to research efforts," said Craig Wilson, library, "since a user can navigate forward, backward and across the research literature."

Provost Mel Schiavelli, whose office provided financial assistance for the program, said "The Web of Science offers a great depth of information and such a database will greatly facilitate the research process for our faculty and students."

Greg Silvis, library, said only about 200 institutions worldwide currently subscribe to The Web of Science. This figure includes 53 percent of the member libraries in the prestigious Association of Research Libraries, of which UD is a member.

The 200 institutions worldwide have an average of 12 years' worth of data on The Web of Science. The University Library has a 25-year volume of holdings, along with such institutions as Dartmouth College and Yale and Tufts universities.

To access The Web of Science, users should select the "Databases" button on the UD Library web page <http://www.lib.udel.edu> and scroll down alphabetically to the database.