BIBLIOMETRIC COMPARISON OF SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE, RESEARCHGATE, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR: COVERAGE, CITATIONS, AND RESEARCH IMPACT

Purpose – This study compares four widely used scholarly information platforms—Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), ResearchGate, and Google Scholar—to examine their bibliometric coverage, citation indexing, research visibility, and impact assessment. The study evaluates their strengths, limitations, and contributions to scholarly communication and research evaluation. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a qualitative bibliometric review methodology based on published literature, indexing policies, database documentation, and scholarly communication studies. Relevant research articles and reports were critically analyzed to compare database coverage, citation metrics, indexing practices, researcher profiles, and research impact indicators. Findings – The study finds that Scopus and Web of Science provide highly curated and standardized citation databases suitable for research evaluation, while Google Scholar offers broader coverage that includes grey literature and institutional repositories. ResearchGate enhances scholarly networking and research dissemination through social academic interactions but lacks standardized bibliometric controls. Each platform contributes differently to citation analysis and research impact assessment. Practical implications – The findings assist researchers, librarians, publishers, academic institutions, and policymakers in selecting appropriate bibliometric databases for literature review, citation analysis, research evaluation, and institutional assessment. Understanding the strengths and limitations of each platform supports more reliable research performance measurement. Originality/value – This paper provides a comparative evaluation of four leading scholarly information platforms by integrating bibliometric coverage, citation analysis, and research impact indicators within a single framework, thereby offering practical guidance for improving scholarly communication and research assessment.