Skip to Content
Citation searching allows you to search either backwards or forwards in the published literature, starting from a known reference to a book or journal article. Searching backwards using reference lists or an article's bibliography lets you see who your authors cited in researching their work; searching forward using database features will locate new articles which cite the book or article you have already found.
This demonstration will tell you how to carry out a citation search: Citation Searching: using one article as a starting point.
Most article databases allow you to trace backwards to see who your author(s) cited in researching their work. Search for your article and look for the reference list or bibliography associated with that article.
Many article databases and journal publishers’ websites allow you to search forwards to find citations of a work in one way or another. Look for a feature called “Cited by”, “Times Cited in this Database”, “Citations” or something similar.
Citation searching is particularly well-developed in Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science. Search for your original article in the database of your choice and look for:
Web of Science:
Page authorised by University Librarian
Last updated on Friday 26 July 2019
Contact a Subject Librarian
Personal research help by email, phone, or appointment.