Coverage of academic citation databases compared with coverage of scientific social media

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how the coverage of publications is represented in information services. Academic citation databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar) and scientific social media (Mendeley, CiteULike, BibSonomy) were analyzed by applying a new method: the use of personal publication lists of scientists. Design/methodology/approach – Personal publication lists of scientists of the field of information science were analyzed. All data were taken in collaboration with the scientists in order to guarantee complete publication lists. Findings – The demonstrated calibration parameter shows the coverage of information services in the field of information science. None of the investigated databases reached a coverage of 100 percent. However Google Scholar covers a greater amount of publications than other academic citation databases and scientific social media. Research limitations/implications – Results were limited to the publications of scientists working at an information science department from 2003 to 2012 at German-speaking universities. Practical implications – Scientists of the field of information science are encouraged to review their publication strategy in case of quality and quantity. Originality/value – The paper confirms the usefulness of personal publication lists as a calibration parameter for measuring coverage of information services.