Citation chaining

Citation chaining is a powerful search strategy that allows you to move backwards and forwards through a research topic.

When using citation chaining, you can find historic, current, and related research, and also identify how a topic has changed over time.

Backward citation chaining

Backward citation chaining refers to using the reference list from a relevant source to discover additional related sources.

• When reading a source (article, book, etc.), make notes of cited sources related to your topic
• Find the sources in the reference list, footnotes, endnotes, etc.
• Find the full-text of the source
  • Journal article: Follow the instructions for searching in specific journals
  • Book/book chapter: Search the library catalog to see if we have access

Forward citation chaining in Google Scholar

Forward citation chaining refers to identifying articles that have cited another article

• Visit Google Scholar
• Copy/paste or type the article title into the search box
  • Example: Race and trust in the health care system
• Click search or the magnifying glass
• On the results page, click Cited by...

You will now see articles that cited, in their own reference lists, the initial article you searched for.

You can even search within these citing articles.

• Click to check the Search within citing articles box
• Type your keyword(s) into the search box
  • Example: vaccines
• Click search or the magnifying glass

You will now see articles that include specific keywords and cited the initial article you searched for.

Set University of Idaho full-text links in Google Scholar

• In Google Scholar, click the triple bar icon
• Click Settings
• Under Search Results, click Library links
• Type University of Idaho in the search box
• Click search or the magnifying glass
• Check the box for University of Idaho - Univ of Idaho - Get it
• Click Save

When you search in Google Scholar, you will now see Univ of Idaho - Get it links.

Access the full-text of articles in Google Scholar

• Click the Univ of Idaho - Get it link next to the article you want
• Under View It, click the link that provides the access you need (current/historic articles)
  • If there are no links under View It, request the article for free via Interlibrary Loan
• Enter your Vandal NetID if prompted
• Access the full-text
  • Option 1: You will be automatically linked to the article you need
  • Option 2: You will be linked to the journal’s homepage and will need to browse the year, volume, and issue to find the article you need