Information retrieval and visualization in Web of Science and Scopus: a practical approach

The emergence of Scopus (Elsevier) in November 2004 marked a major shift in the international market of databases exerting pressure on the monopoly traditionally held by Web of Science (Thomson Reuters). This paper aims to carry out an analysis of the graphical interfaces of both products as a key factor in the process of information retrieval and visualization. The methodology entails the execution of a series of searches in order to understand the respective performances of Scopus and Web of Science when put through the paces of searching, locating and retrieving information. Although the two databases exhibit deficiencies, results show that Scopus more effectively meets informational requirements in the indexing process by author.