Data sources for performing citation analysis: an overview

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of new citation‐enhanced databases and to identify issues to be considered when they are used as a data source for performing citation analysis. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports the limitations of Thomson Scientific's citation indexes and reviews the characteristics of the citation‐enhanced databases Chemical Abstracts, Google Scholar and Scopus. Findings – The study suggests that citation‐enhanced databases need to be examined carefully, with regard to both their potentialities and their limitations for citation analysis. Originality/value – The paper presents a valuable overview of new citation‐enhanced databases in the context of research evaluation.