Scientific databases are among the essential pillars of modern academic research, providing scholars with access to peer-reviewed studies and prestigious journals. One of the most prominent databases is Web of Science, which has played a central role in assessing the quality of research and journals through the Impact Factor. This article aims to review the historical development of this database, the changes in its ownership, and its role in shaping academic publishing standards.
I. Historical Roots – ISI
The origins of the database date back to the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), founded by Eugene Garfield in the 1960s. ISI’s main objective was to establish a comprehensive indexing system to help researchers trace scientific studies and citations. From this initiative, the term ISI Index Journal emerged, which for a long time became synonymous with high-quality academic journals.
II. Transfer of Ownership to Thomson Reuters
As the database developed and expanded, its ownership later passed to Thomson Reuters, which introduced technical and organizational improvements. These upgrades reinforced its status as a global database with direct influence on academic publishing policies.
III. Clarivate Ownership and the Evolution of Web of Science
In a subsequent stage, Clarivate Analytics acquired the database, reorganized it, and developed it under its current name, Web of Science. Today, Clarivate is the official body responsible for managing the database, which now consists of four specialized sub-databases covering different fields of research.
The Web of Science Core Collection includes several citation indexes that span multiple disciplines, notably:
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Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE): covering diverse scientific fields since 1900.
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Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI): dedicated to multidisciplinary social sciences.
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Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI): covering arts and humanities since 1975.
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Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI): launched in 2015 to integrate emerging journals meeting quality standards.
In addition, it includes indexes for conference proceedings (CPCI-S and CPCI-SSH) and academic books (BKCI-S and BKCI-SSH), along with other specialized databases such as: Book Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation Index, Current Chemical Reactions, Index Chemicus, BIOSIS Citation Index, Chinese Science Citation Database, Data Citation Index, and Biological Abstracts.
IV. The Impact Factor
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Definition and Importance
The Impact Factor is a scientific indicator used to measure the strength of a journal by calculating the average number of citations to its articles over a specific period. It serves as a key tool for researchers when choosing publication venues and is also used by universities and research institutions to evaluate academic performance. -
Recent Developments
As of 2023, Clarivate announced a major step: granting an Impact Factor to all journals across its four databases, covering nearly 21,050 journals. This means that every journal indexed in Web of Science now has an official Impact Factor, thereby enhancing transparency and broadening the recognition of scientific journals.
The evolution of Web of Science reflects a long journey of innovation in academic publishing, starting with ISI and reaching its current management under Clarivate. The recent expansion of the Impact Factor to all journals represents a milestone in standardizing academic evaluation criteria and provides researchers with wider opportunities to select appropriate journals for their work. This highlights the importance of researchers keeping pace with these transformations in their pursuit of advancing global research quality.
