Categorization Schemes in Web of Science CC

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of the two classification schemes that are integrated in Web of Science Core Collection - the “Web of Science Categories” and “Research Areas”. Our study was facilitated by the often conflicting information about these classifiers in periodicals and blogs on the Internet. Since the question of choosing a classifier for searching documents is of fundamental importance, the relevance of the answer to the question of how these classifiers differ from each other is obvious. It is revealed that both classifiers do not contain fundamental differences: 136 categories (directions) have a similar designation, and the search for documents revealed the complete identity of the results for 115 of these categories. Documents on narrow areas of “Web of Science Categories” are included in wider “Research Areas”. The article shows what the maximum shares they are included in these areas. Both classifiers are based on the principle of classifying the journal to a particular subject category, and the documents inherit all those thematic categories that have been assigned to primary journals. The only difference found in the classifiers “Web of Science Categories” and “Research Areas” is the breadth of subject categories (research areas).