scite: Providing Additional Context for Citation Statements

Abstract

With scite, researchers can use "smart citations" to see the context, the location, and the classifications of citation statements. Currently, over 800 million citation statements from scientific articles have been included (Citation Coverage). This tool is a work in progress, and its greatest coverage of the literature is in the field of biomedical research (scite 2021). Browser extensions and limited scite reports are free, however, increasing functionality is limited to subscribers. What role do citations play in scholarly communication? "scite combines deep learning with a network of experts to evaluate the veracity of scientific work" (M scite 2020). Citation statistics, e.g. hindex and impact factor, are often viewed as directional proportional to a manuscript's value and integrity. Background literature and the literature review provide valuable information for both the authors and readers of scientific papers. With proper background research, authors can save time and money by learning from past successes and failures as evidenced in previous research. Citations can help readers trust that authors have reached scientifically sound conclusions based on previously established research and evidence. Even if a scholarly article is retracted, it can still be cited. The reasons for citation statements in a retracted article may vary. scite's goal is to further clarify the citation statements and the role they play in all scholarly articles.