The impact of data source on the ranking of computer scientists based on citation indicators: a comparison of web of science and Scopus

Abstract

Conference proceedings represent a large part of the literature in computer science. Two Conference Proceedings Citation Index databases were merged with Web of Science in 2008, but very few studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of that merger of databases on citation indicators in computer science in comparison to other databases. This study explores whether or not the addition of the Conference Proceedings Citation Indexes to Web of Science has changed the citation analysis results when compared to Scopus. It compares the citation data of 25 randomly selected computer science faculty in Canadian universities in Web of Science (with Conference Proceedings Citation Indexes) and Scopus. The results show that Scopus retrieved considerably more publications including conference proceedings and journal articles. Scopus also generated higher citation counts and h-index than Web of Science in this field, though relative citation rankings from the two databases were similar. It is suggested that either database could be used if a relative ranking is sought. If the purpose is to find a more complete or higher value of citation counting or h-index, Scopus is preferable. It should be noted that no matter which source is used, citation analysis as a tool for research performance assessment must be constructed and applied with caution because of its technological and methodological limitations