Scopus adds older citation data and abstracts
Scopus, Elsevier’s abstract and citation database, has now added citation data, including abstracts, for many older papers, making it ever-closer to the rival Thomson’s Web of Science service. Nature Publishing Group titles are indexed by both databases, as well as by many other abstract&indexing services.
Since its launch two years ago, Scopus is now attracting publishers who want their older journals to be listed, including Springer, Nature Publishing Group, the American Physical Society, and the American Institute of Physics. Most of these publishers have digitized their content themselves back to the first issues of their journals. Older journals, such as Nature (first issue published on 4 November 1869, and freely available online), are still in the process of digitizing their very old content. Nature's digital archive currently goes back to 1950, with the issues back to 1869 to be added later this year. Nature New Biology and Nature Physical Sciences archives are also being digitized.
Scopus already contains 15 million pre-1996 records, and the new deal will add around seven million more. The new records will include full abstracts, traditionally a strength of Thomson’s Web of Science. Scopus does not necessarily intend to index older content in all areas, believing that 11 years of citation data is enough for some purposes - for example, to provide an overview of a publication for a grant or tenure application, so is prioritzing the digitization of older content accordingly.
In some cases, researchers may be interested in older content to see the citations that their own research has received over the years, or may use it to study historical trends. Whatever the needs of the reader, the addition of more search features and functions as the two organizations compete for customers can only be of benefit, especially taking into account features being introduced by the free-to-use service Google Scholar, also driving innovation and introduction of more reader services by the commercial providers.
See Nature Publishing Group abstracting and indexing page.
