Caveats for the use of Web of Science Core Collection in old literature retrieval and historical bibliometric analysis

TL;DR

This paper examines limitations of the Web of Science Core Collection for retrieving old literature and conducting historical bibliometric analysis, highlighting data availability issues that can affect research conclusions.

Contribution

It empirically investigates the database limitations of WoSCC in old literature retrieval, providing insights to avoid misinterpretations in bibliometric studies.

Findings

Low availability of abstract and keyword data in WoSCC explains the 1991 AI research 'watershed'

Database limitations can lead to misinterpretation of historical bibliometric trends

The study offers guidance to improve accuracy in old literature analysis

Abstract

By using publications from Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Fosso Wamba and his colleagues published an interesting and comprehensive paper in Technological Forecasting and Social Change to explore the structure and dynamics of artificial intelligence (AI) scholarship. Data demonstrated in Fosso Wamba's study implied that the year 1991 seemed to be a "watershed" of AI research. This research note tried to uncover the 1991 phenomenon from the perspective of database limitation by probing the limitations of search in abstract/author keywords/keywords plus fields of WoSCC empirically. The low availability rates of abstract/author keywords/keywords plus information in WoSCC found in this study can explain the "watershed" phenomenon of AI scholarship in 1991 to a large extent. Some other caveats for the use of WoSCC in old literature retrieval and historical bibliometric analysis were also mentioned in the discussion section. This research note complements Fosso Wamba and his colleagues' study and also helps avoid improper interpretation in the use of WoSCC in old literature retrieval and historical bibliometric analysis.