Reimagining the Web of Science search experience

With the help of our librarian partners, we've enhanced the Web of Science discovery experience for all users by incorporating natural language search and other new AI-enabled features with Smart Search.

Since its inception, Web of Science has consistently led the way in innovation, anticipating and meeting researchers' needs as technologies evolve. Clarivate continues to leverage cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to support researchers, notably with the recent release of the Web of Science Research Assistant. In addition to the assistant, the Web of Science product team has also been developing an enhanced core search experience by applying AI and other advanced technologies.

Smart Search, a brand-new intelligent entry point into Web of Science content, is designed to meet the sophisticated expectations that today's researchers have for their research tools and platforms. They demand intuitive, intelligent search systems that can understand a variety of requests and provide relevant suggestions based on more than user-supplied keywords. Web of Science is rising to this challenge by enhancing search in several ways.

Working with the community to enhance search and discovery

We are collaborating closely with the research community on any changes to search, which is central to the Web of Science experience. Our Product Working Group members have had site-wide access to Smart Search for up to 12 months. They've been testing the functionality and providing feedback, helping us refine features to ensure they meet the high expectations and demands of our diverse and highly skilled user base. In addition to site-wide testing, we have engaged librarians in deep-dive conversations and interviews throughout development. Millions of searches by thousands of researchers have helped bring these changes to life, and we are excited to deliver an enhanced search experience to all Web of Science users.

Figure 1: New Smart Search interface in the Web of Science

Creating a more intuitive and efficient search experience

Smart Search introduces several new capabilities to the general search experience to help users around the globe search more intuitively and bring more relevant research into view.

The primary features are:

• Semantic search enables users to effortlessly expand search criteria to ensure comprehensive results. Smart Search automatically finds semantically similar terms and incorporates them into the user's query to locate content beyond the entered keywords.
• Natural language querying facilitates more efficient search. Users can enter queries as they would describe them rather than worrying about Boolean operators and complex search syntax.
• Query and abstract translation allows users to search in their preferred language and browse translated titles and abstracts of results. Smart Search will launch with support for Simplified Chinese, and we plan to add more languages over time.
• AI-powered typeaheads complete user queries using intelligent suggestions that surface the right content faster. Suggestions might include topics, popular searches, researchers or publication titles.
• Combined searches for papers and people simplify the user experience by including both papers and researcher profiles in results.

Smart Search brings a new perspective to academic search. It allows users of all capabilities and experience levels to begin their search journey quickly and intuitively, getting them to the right content more effectively. Our librarian partners shared their thoughts on what these new features mean for students and researchers.

"Semantic discovery helps broaden search results, making it easier to explore related research."

"The auto-suggestion feature helps construct searches faster, especially for new researchers."

"The unified discovery feature provides a seamless experience when searching for authors, affiliations, and topics."

"[Smart] Search is intuitive and user-friendly, making it easier to search for documents and researchers without requiring complex Boolean queries."

We introduce these new capabilities while maintaining existing fielded and advanced search options to meet the diverse needs of all users. Whether a user is coming to the platform for the very first time or with decades of experience, Web of Science offers an efficient path forward.

Rolling out a new primary search experience

Adapting to change takes time for users. Today, all Web of Science customers can access Smart Search as part of their existing subscription, but users must actively select the new option to get started. We are committed to giving users the opportunity to familiarize themselves with new capabilities before making significant changes to the product. Later this year, Smart Search will become the default landing page for all users.

Check out the new Smart Search in Web of Science today, and become a Web of Science Community Forum member to join the conversation.