Document Types

InCites supports one document type per publication. In the event a publication in Web of Science is classified into two or more document types, the following table defines the order of precedence for document types visible in InCites. For example: UT WOS:000409318700001 has document type Article and Data Paper in Web of Science. In InCites, this document will be visible as a Data Paper only and not as an Article because the Data Paper is ranked higher than an Article in the order of precedence below.

UT WOS:000393131600002 has document type Article and Proceedings Paper in Web of Science. In InCites, this document will be visible only as an article and not a Proceedings Paper, because an Article document type is ranked higher than a Proceedings Paper in the order of precedence:

  • Retracted Publication: An article that has been retracted by an author, institution, editor, or a publisher. A Retracted Article will have a dual document type. EXAMPLE Article; Retracted Publication. A Retracted Publication dual document type was created in 2016 and will only be assigned if a retraction notice is published.
  • Retraction: A published statement from the editor or author announcing the retraction of a manuscript and the reason for the retraction. The retraction notice must state that the item is being retracted. The original article information is included in the title of the retraction and the original article is cited. Prior to 2016 retractions were processed as corrections. The original article information is included in the title of the retraction and the original article is cited.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Book: A monograph or publication written on a specific topic.
  • Note: A paper that mentions or remarks on a published paper on a specific subject. Generally, finds records dating back to 1996 or before. Notes are currently processed as an article depending on the content.
  • Abstract of Published Item: Bibliographic-only data on a published paper. Generally, finds records dating back to 1974 or before.
  • 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 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.
  • Chronology: A review of events on a specific topic or subject in their order of occurrence in time. Generally, finds records dating back to 2012 or before. A chronology is currently processed as an Article.
  • 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.
  • Correction, Addition: Correction of errors found in articles that were previously published and which have been made known after that article was published.
  • Dance Performance Review: Reviews of solo dance recitals, complete dance productions, dance programs consisting of several works, and other types of performed dances.
  • 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.
  • Discussion: An article or paper that discusses questions in an open and usually informal debate. Generally, finds records dating back to 1996 or before. Discussions are currently processed as Editorial Material or an Article depending on the content.
  • 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.
  • Item About an Individual: A review of the work(s) of a celebrated person in a particular field of study. As of 1999, all Items about an Individual are coded as a Biographical Item.
  • 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.
  • Meeting:A paper that covers meeting abstracts sections published in a journal. The article title will include the meeting title (if provided) followed by the word abstracts. If meeting abstracts are processed individually the page span will be a singular page. If the journal does not meet the criteria for processing the individual meeting abstracts the page span will include the entire set of meeting abstracts. The “Meeting” document type created in 2023, will be applied retrospectively from 2019. The document type “Article” was assigned prior to 2019.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • TV Review, Radio Review, Video Review: Reviews of television, radio broadcasts, and videos. This document type was used until 1997. It is currently processed as TV Review, Radio Review.