Searching the Web of Science

  • Enter your search term(s) in the Topic field. Note that you can change from Topic to any of the choices in the drop-down menu (Author, Title, etc.) and you can click +Add row to add other fields.
  • To search for an Author, enter Lastname FirstInitial* (for example, Smith A*). If you search for a Publication Name, it must be entered exactly. An Author Identifier is an author's Researcher ID or ORCID. You can specify the author Address; note that in Address you use SAME - e.g., Harvard SAME University SAME Cambridge. 
  • Below the search boxes, under Timespan, you can limit your search to particular years. The default is all years.

It is usually good to start with a wide search; you can use as many terms as you wish in the Topic field (they will automatically be added, or you can type AND in caps.  To search for a phrase, put the words in quotation marks (for example, "membrane signaling molecules").

Once you have your initial set of Results, note that you can:

  • Sort your results - the default is Publication Date - Newest to Oldest but you can change it to Relevance. Times Cited will give you a good idea of the importance of your results, always remembering that older articles will be cited more often. There are other choices also.
  • Refine your search using the options on the left. Subject Areas, Authors, and Publication Years are probably the most useful, but there are many choices. You can also refine by entering a search term in the Refine Results box.
  • Click on the title of an article to open its detailed record. To get full text, use the Try Harvard Library button.  

If an article is not available online, Harvard may own it in print, and you can visit the library or request a copy via Scan & Deliver. If Harvard does not have the material, you can get it via Interlibrary Loan.  The Try Harvard Library link connects to Hollis, and will connect to Interlibrary Loan if Harvard does not own the item.  For help at any point, you can contact a librarian.