Knowledge Discovery Using Citation Connections: Innovative Research Tool

Abstract

When database dissertation publishers launch a new feature, it creates excitement among researchers. But what is most important is knowing if this new feature lives up to expectations. The purpose of this research was to test the Citation Connections discovery tool from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. The tool provides researchers with insights into a connected network that delivers comprehensive research on a topic through knowledge deliverables in the form of fundamental research with highlighted citation, and similar dissertations with similarity index and shared references. An exploratory study was conducted to test the features of Citation Connections. Cluster sampling method was used to recruit 189 participants from three leading institutions from a vanguard university including research scholars, supervisors and librarians. The goal was to obtain a sufficiently large sample size to identify trends and provide a nationwide perspective on Citation Connections in India. The efficacy of Citation Connections was evaluated using SurveyMonkey. The study demonstrated highly significant (p value 0.00) that Citation Connections lives up to its promise to connect dissertations and theses to a network of 196 million journal articles, conference papers, books, preprints, data sets, and patents, all linked by 2.2 billion citations. Web of Science users consider dissertations and theses crucial for a comprehensive understanding of research topics.