University-Wide Resources Trial of 'Scopus' Now Available

This spring, Western students, faculty, and staff have the opportunity to participate in a quarter-long trial of the abstract and citation database, Scopus.

An alternative to Web of Science, Scopus (published by Elsevier) includes citation data for over 70 million journal articles, books, conference proceedings, and patents in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. It also provides a variety of journal and article metrics to help institutions and researchers track the impact of their—and others’—scholarly work. More in-depth information about Scopus can be found on the Scopus content page or in the content coverage guide. Recent comparisons of Scopus to Web of Science are available from Iowa State University and Boston College.

The Libraries is negotiating a contract with Elsevier to renew Western’s current journal package and is considering a university-wide Scopus subscription as one way to secure more favorable and sustainable licensing costs. Were the Libraries to proceed with a subscription to Scopus, the current subscription to Web of Science would be phased out at the end of 2020, resulting in a significant cost savings long term for the University.

In order to make the best decision for Western as a whole, the Libraries is calling for broad participation in—and feedback on—the Scopus trial. The trial will last for the duration of Spring Quarter, beginning on April 18 and ending on June 30. It can be accessed from both on- and off-campus, via the Libraries website, OneSearch, or directly. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate and provide feedback via survey form.

Elsevier is also providing Western with a trial of SciVal, a sophisticated tool for tracking an institution’s research performance. Western users are encouraged to explore the SciVal trial and provide feedback here. (NOTE: Users must create an account before using SciVal.)

Explore Scopus and SciVal today and let us know what you think!

Scopus trial & feedback survey | SciVal trial & feedback survey

Questions? Contact your subject librarian, Collections Services or the Director of Collections.