With a citation pearl growing strategy, the starting point is one relevant document. The idea of this search is to find more documents similar to the one already found.
Pearl growing can be helpful at the early stages of information seeking, when terminology is not yet familiar. It can also be used later in the process to expand results retrieved through search strings.
Literature published prior to the core document can be found by studying the reference list (cited references) of the article.
More recent literature than the core article can be found by searching the database for those documents that cite the core document (citing documents, cited by, times cited).
In the Web of Science citation database, pearl growing can be applied by examining, for example, the publication’s reference list (References) or the articles that cite it (Citations).
Multi scientific abstract and citation database: journals, conference papers, trade publications, book series, patents. With SFX link you can see whether the item is available electronically and link directly to the full-text.
Scopus quick guide | Rights to use | More information about the database
Multidisciplinary abstract and citation database: journals and journal and book-based proceedings. With SFX link you can see whether the item is available electronically and link directly to the full-text. Web of Science quick guide | Rights to use | More information about the database
A web search engine for scientific information. When you log in with your University of Oulu user ID, you have access to the licensed electronic resources also from outside the University of Oulu Network. Google Scholar quick guide | More information
New searches can be made with new search terms found in the core document. When looking for new search terms in the core document, it is worth taking a careful look particularly at the title, abstract and the key words used there.
You can also use an author search or explore researcher profiles in the database to see whether the authors of a key document have published other material related to your topic.
In addition to an individual publication, an entire result set can also serve as a pearl. For example, Scopus’s Keyword tool lists the keywords associated with the entire result set. You could find new useful terms for your search string.
Some databases include automatic related records -features that suggest publications based on shared elements such as authors, keywords, or references. The usefulness of these tools may vary depending on the database.
AI-tools for information retrieval can suggest new sources based on already retrieved publications or generate visual literature maps based on citation networks. However, be aware that uploading PDF files of publications into AI tools is often prohibited under the terms of use for licensed e-resources.
