Document Types

The following table includes descriptions of document types available when you perform an All Databases search and refine your results by Document Type from Refine Results. Available document types listed are based on your organization’s subscription.

If your organization is only subscribed to one database, you will not have the option to search all databases.

The original document type will still appear in the full record of a product database. This list of document types is used only to refine the results of an All Databases search. For example, the Document Type field of a full record in Web of Science Core Collection may list proceedings paper as the original document type.

See our retired historical document types.

Document Type Description

Article

Reports of research on new and original works that are considered citable. Includes research papers, brief communications, technical notes, chronologies, full papers, and case reports (presented like full papers) that were published in a journal and/or presented at a symposium or conference.

Articles usually include author abstract, graphs, tables, and lists of cited references.

Art Exhibit Review

Reviews of gallery or museum showings of artworks, crafts, manuscripts, memorabilia, artifacts, or collections of sorts.

Bibliography

A list, often with descriptive or critical notes, of writings relating to a particular subject.

Biographical-Item

Obituaries or articles focusing on the life of an individual, and articles that are tributes to or commemorations of an individual.

Book

A monograph or publication written on a specific topic.

Book Chapter

A monograph or publication written on a specific topic within a main division in a book.

Book Review

A critical appraisal of a book (often reflecting a reviewer's personal opinion or recommendation) that evaluates such aspects as organization and writing style, possible market appeal, and cultural, political, or literary significance. The book being reviewed is processed as the source title. The reviewer is processed as the author.

Correction

Correction of errors found in articles that were previously published and which have been made known after that article was published. Includes additions and errata. Retraction Items were processed as corrections prior to 2016. A correction title will include the citation to the article being corrected.

Dance Performance Review

Reviews of solo dance recitals, complete dance productions, dance programs consisting of several works, and other types of performed dances.

Data Paper

A scholarly publication describing a particular dataset or collection of datasets and usually published in the form of a peer-reviewed article in a scholarly journal. The main purpose of a data paper is to provide facts about the data (metadata, such as data collection, access, features etc.) rather than analysis and research in support of the data, as found in a conventional research article. A Data Paper will have a dual document type: Article; Data Paper. Prior to 2016, a Data Paper was processed as an Article only.

Database Review

A critical appraisal of a database, often reflecting a reviewer's personal opinion or recommendation. Refers to a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system.

Early Access

An article that has been electronically published by a journal before it has been assigned to a specific volume and issue. An Early Access article will have a dual document type that will include the document type assigned and Early Access: Article; Early Access. When the article is later indexed from the issue, it is updated with the volume, issue, date, page information and the Early Access document type is removed. The processing of Early Access articles began in December 2017. Only journals that have been onboarded for early access contain Early Access articles.

Editorial Material

An article that gives the opinions of a person, group, or organization. Includes commentaries (depending on the content), editorials, interviews, discussions between individuals, post-paper discussions, round table symposia, conference summary, research highlights, introduction, preface and conclusion.

Excerpt

A selection from or a fragment of a literary or musical work, which cannot stand as a separate work in its own right (that is not a short story from a collection of stories or a poem from a book of poems).

Fiction, Creative Prose

Includes short stories and other works (non-poetry) classified as creative writing rather than objective reporting of events or a scholarly presentation of facts.

Film Review

A review of a motion picture.

Hardware Review

A critical appraisal of computer hardware, often reflecting a reviewer's personal opinion or recommendation. Refers to objects that you can actually touch, like disk drives, keyboards, printers.

Letter

Brief Contributions or correspondence from the readers to the journal editor concerning previously published material. Includes “Readers Write”, “Questions and Answers”, “Letters to the Editor” and “Comments”.

Meeting Abstract

An abstract or extended abstract of completed papers that were or will be presented at a symposium or conference.

Meeting Summary

A paper that covers multiple meeting abstracts in a variety of subjects.

Music Performance Review

Review of a live musical performance (recital, concert, and opera).

Music Score

Transcript of the original and entire draft of a musical composition or an arrangement with the parts for the different instruments or voices written on staffs one above another.

Music Score Review

Review of a bound musical composition or bound collection of musical compositions.

News Item

News, current events, and recent developments usually unauthored and less than a page long.

Poetry

Compositions in verse; metrical writing.

Proceedings Paper

Full papers in a wide range of disciplines that were or will be presented at a symposium or meeting. The papers to be included must have been presented in full at a conference, meeting, symposium or similar gathering. Generally published in a book of conference proceedings.

Records covered in the two Conference Proceedings indexes (CPCI-S and CPCI-SSH) are identified as Proceedings Paper. However, the same records covered in the three indexes (SCI-E, SSCI, and A&HCI) are identified as Article when published in a journal. Proceedings papers will have a dual document type: Article; Proceedings paper.

Record Review

Reviews of recorded music or speech.

Reprint

An article that was previously published. Reprinted information is included in the source title and the original article is cited.

Retracted Publication

An article that has been withdrawn by an author, institution, editor, or a publisher because of errors or unsubstantiated data. The Retracted Article will have a dual document type: Article; Retracted Publication was created in 2016 and will only be assigned if a retraction notice is published.

Retraction

A public notice that an article should be withdrawn because of errors or unsubstantiated data. Prior to 2016, retractions were processed as corrections. The original article information is included in the title of the retraction item and the original article is cited.

Review

Detailed, critical surveys of published research.  A review article may summarize previously published studies and draw some  conclusions but will not present new information on the subject. Includes Reviews, Review of Literature, Mini-reviews, and Systematic reviews. If an article is listed under the review section in a journal and/or Review of Literature appears in the title it will be assigned a review.

If an article is not assigned a review by the journal but Review, Systematic Review or Mini-review appears in the title, it must also appear someplace else in the article (abstract/summary or introduction) in order to be assigned the document type review.

Script

Includes film scripts, plays, TV, and radio scripts.

Software Review A critical appraisal of computer software, often reflecting a reviewer's personal opinion or recommendation. Refers to programs, procedures, and rules, along with associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system.
Theater Review Review of a performed play.
TV Review, Radio Review Reviews of television, videos, and radio broadcasts.