Do subject databases index what scholars cite?: A cross-disciplinary comparison

Purpose This study examines how well subject databases in chemistry, sociology, medicine and education cover the literature cited by scholars in the corresponding fields. This investigation illuminates both important differences in citation practices across disciplines as well as the relative usefulness of subject databases. Design/methodology/approach It takes a random sample of citations from four flagship journals in each discipline and then determines whether the citations are covered in a corresponding subject database. Findings Of each database/journal pair, the greatest number of citations were found in chemistry, followed by medicine, education and sociology. In the two STEM disciplines, citations were much more concentrated in journal articles and in the core subject area, whereas citations in the two social science disciplines showed much more variety in both format and subject matter. Originality/value Although previous studies have compared individual subject databases to web-scale discovery tools, this one adopts a consistent evaluative framework to make cross-disciplinary comparisons. This comparative approach illuminates how database coverage varies across disciplines and helps to inform database selection and use.