EconLit vs Web of Science
EconLit
aeaweb.orgWeb of Science
clarivate.comSide by side
| Figure | EconLit | Web of Science |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 7 |
| Spec score · Academic Research Databases | 8.4 (#9) | 8.1 (#11) |
| Purpose | EconLit is a bibliographic database of economics literature published by the American Economic Association. | Web of Science is a research discovery platform built around scholarly literature and citation links. |
| Support | The AEA directs institutional subscribers to contact their information service provider for help with proprietary search interface questions or support. | Clarivate provides Web of Science product and technical support through its Support Center. |
| What it does | EconLit is the American Economic Association’s bibliographic database for economics literature. | Web of Science is a multidisciplinary citation and research-discovery platform covering journals, conference papers, books, grants, preprints, dissertations, datasets and patents. |
Plans
EconLit
- EconLit for AEA MembersFree
- EconLit (institutional subscription)Priced on request
- EconLit via EBSCOPriced on request
- EconLit via OvidPriced on request
- EconLit via ProQuestPriced on request
- EconLit with Full TextPriced on request
Web of Science
- Web of Science My Research Assistant free versionFree
- Web of Science API Expanded — AdvancedPriced on request
- Web of Science API Expanded — BasicPriced on request
- Web of Science API Expanded — IntermediatePriced on request
- Web of Science API Expanded — PremiumPriced on request
- Web of Science institutional subscriptionPriced on request
- Web of Science platformPriced on request
In their own words
EconLit
EconLit is the American Economic Association’s bibliographic database for economics literature. It covers peer-reviewed journal articles, working papers, PhD dissertations, books, book reviews, and articles in collective volumes. The database contains over 2 million records, covers literature published over the last 140 years, and is updated weekly. Searchable record fields can include title, author, affiliation, publication details, document type, keywords, subject classifications, named persons, and geographic descriptors. Its subject descriptors follow the Journal of Economic Literature classification system, using four-digit codes. Institutional subscriptions are available through EBSCO, ProQuest, and Ovid, which provide the same data through different interfaces. Full-text links depend on library holdings; EconLit with Full Text is available only through EBSCO. AEA members have courtesy access to bibliographic records, but that service has no full-text links and may be phased out. Institutional pricing is supplied by providers; EBSCO offers a trial request without stating its duration.
Web of Science
Web of Science is a paid research discovery platform built around scholarly literature and citation links. Its stated coverage includes more than 34,000 journals, 288 million metadata records, and 3.4 billion citation links. One search can span journal content, conference papers, grants, preprints, dissertations, books, datasets, and patents. The platform supports finding new research, potential partners, trending topics, and commercial opportunities. It offers multidisciplinary coverage, advanced search, full-text access, conference proceedings, and theses and dissertations. The Web of Science Research Assistant adds multilingual natural-language search, concise overviews, task guidance, and visualizations, with institutional subscription access required. Registered users can export records to EndNote, and researcher profiles can sync publications with ORCID. API Expanded provides REST access with JSON or XML output through a paid licence and registered application. Listed API plans allow 50,000 to 3,000,000 full records yearly, with request rates of two to five per second.