We always look for bibliographic data to map the research activity in research. In many circumstances, researchers use Web of Science or Scopus [e.g., 1] to obtain full bibliographic records. Another prominent platform for bibliographic information is Dimensions [2]. Digital Science, ReadCube, Altmetric, Figshare, Symplectic, Digital Science Consultancy, and ÜberResearch collaborated on the project. t provides all kinds of research information. Users can access information about research articles, citations with funds, patents, clinical trials, datasets, and policies. It's also a discovery tool that works with linked data, and users may use API to conduct more advanced research. Fig.1 shows the user interface of the Dimensions.
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| Fig.1 |
In this article, I shall demonstrate how to use Dimensions Web App (Free) and export bibliographic data. The steps are as follows:
1. Access the Web App
First, we need to click over the Access Web App to enter the search interface of the database. We will get the interface (Fig.2) like:
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| Fig.2 |
We can see plenty of features like search, filters, analytics etc.
2. Querying a search
Next, we will search the publications related to "bibliometrics" and "scientometrics."
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| Fig.3 |
In the search box, we will put simple search terms with AND operator. We also can search for full data, Title abstracts, and DOI. For now, I am going to search in Title and abstract. It will return all the results having the terms either in titles or abstracts.
3. Getting the results
We will get the results after entering the query.
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| Fig.4 |
As we can see, there were a total of 1745 publications including 37 datasets retrieved.
4. Filtering the result
We can filter our search results. There are seven different search filters available (till 2022/05/18). For now, I shall apply only two filters-Publication years and Publication type.
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| Fig.5 |
I have restricted the results to only two years i.e. 2021-2022 and Article as the publication type. A total of 427 records were found after filtering.
5. Saving and exporting the result
Now, we will be able to save or export the search result (Fig.6). Before doing this, users need to create an account that they can save and export. I already have a Dimensions account (free).
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| Fig.6 |
Next, if we click the Export results, we will be directed to apply different export types (Export full record-csv, xlsx; Export for bibliometric mapping; Export to reference manager)(Fig.7).
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| Fig.7 |
Since my account is free, I will be able to export up to 500 records. If I select bibliometric mapping, then I will be able to export 2500 records which can be used in science mapping tools like VOSviewer or CiteSpace. For now, I going to select the full record.
6. Downloading the saved file
The exported file will be saved to the user profile tab.
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| Fig.8 |
To download the file, we need to go to the Export center.
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| Fig.9 |
Here is exported file. We can download xlsx file for further analysis.
Dimensions also provide resources/tutorials for searching and using the web app (e.g., click here)
Note: This article is only for educational purposes
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References
[1] Zhu, Junwen, and Weishu Liu. "A tale of two databases: The use of Web of Science and Scopus in academic papers." Scientometrics 123.1 (2020): 321-335.
[2] Bode, Christian, et al. "A guide to the Dimensions data approach." Dimensions Report. Cambridge, MA: Digital Science (2018).