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Why is Unil leaving Web of Science?

Web of Science (Clarivate) is an international bibliographic and bibliometric platform that enables users to identify, explore and analyse scientific literature.

When the licence was last renewed, several modules – which had previously been included within the standard scope of the licence and were widely used by the academic community – were removed from it. Subscribing to these additional modules resulted in significant cost increases. The licence was therefore renewed on a transitional basis. This ensured continuity of service whilst Unil sought alternative solutions based on open data and non-proprietary models.

With regard to the use of these metrics for research evaluation, when relying on a proprietary database such as WoS, the data cannot be freely reused and institutions have little control over its provenance and evolution. Relying on open data, by contrast, makes the indicators used to evaluate research transparent and verifiable, thereby informing the institution’s decisions.

This approach is in line with UNIL’s Open Science policy, which aims to ensure open access to publications and research data, and forms part of international commitments to open research information.

As solutions meeting these criteria have been identified, the phase-out of WoS is planned for early 2027.

What’s changing for you

  • No further access to the platform. After 31 December 2026, it will no longer be possible to log in to Web of Science using your Unil account. Searches will need to be carried out in other databases such as OpenAlex, Consensus or others
  • Suggested alternatives. Unil is turning to OpenAlex and Consensus: used together, these two tools provide access to a large proportion of the services offered by Web of Science. Other complementary or specialised options are also available. The table ‘I used to do X with Web of Science – what should I do now?’ (see below) indicates which tool to use depending on your needs.
  • The sources for the metrics are changing. The sources used to calculate bibliometric metrics differ between WoS and OpenAlex. It will therefore not be possible to compare figures extracted from WoS with those from OpenAlex. From January 2027, it is essential to rely solely on OpenAlex data to ensure continuity in comparisons in the future. Unfortunately, the discontinuity between the two systems is unavoidable.
  • Your personal data will no longer be accessible. Reference lists, saved searches and alerts created in your Web of Science account will no longer be available.
  • Your publications will remain visible. The expiry of the licence does not affect the indexing of your articles in Web of Science: only Unil’s access to the platform will cease. Your researcher profile will remain accessible without a licence.

The alternatives : OpenAlex et Consensus

Overview

 

OpenAlex

Consensus

Nature

A free, open-access bibliographic database covering the world’s scientific literature

An AI-powered search engine that answers questions by drawing on scientific literature

Main uses

Literature searches, citation tracking, bibliometric analyses, institutional indicators

A quick overview of a topic, identifying relevant articles, summarising the current state of knowledge

Access

Free, licence-free

Institutional licence. Enter your institutional email address (Unil, CHUV, Unisanté, Hep Vaud). A code will then be sent to your institutional email address

Things to bear in mind

The quality of metadata varies across disciplines

An exploration tool, not a source for bibliometric analyses

"I used to do X with Web of Science – what should I do now?"

Use case

Tools to use

Good to know

A literature review on a topic, across all disciplines
  • OpenAlex : an open catalogue of articles, authors and institutions.
  • Consensus : an initial exploration based on a question.

Compléments :

  • BASE : Over 480 million scientific articles from nearly 12,000 sources, carefully selected by professionals.
  • CORE : over 400 million scientific text documents. It also indexes and stores the full text of Open Access publications and provides an API for text and data mining.
  • Lens.org : Over 200 million scientific publications, with a structured search function (free access with an account).
  • Dimensions : free account, browse by quotes.
  • Google Scholar : articles, books, theses, abstracts.

 

No multidisciplinary database entirely equivalent to Web of Science is available at Unil.

Of these tools, Lens.org offers the most comprehensive structured search, but its indexing is less detailed.

 

Research in my field

Specialist databases accessible from Unil, listed in Renouvaud – bases de données.

BiUM’s “Alternatives to Web of Science” guide, offering suggestions for research in the fields of health and medicine.

These databases generally enable structured and reproducible research.

Citation-based navigation (which articles cite this one? Which references does it cite?)

OpenAlex and Google Scholar.
Citationchaser : A free tool for finding references and citations for several articles at once.

In Citationchaser, enter citation details (such as a DOI) or import a Zotero or EndNote export.

A literature monitoring service (email alerts)

OpenAlex: carry out a search, click on the ‘Save’ star in the top right-hand corner, then click on ‘Create alert’.

 

Identifying leading journals

DOAJ : Gold open-access journals that meet the criteria for scientific publication.

Web of Science Master Journal List : list of journals indexed in WoS.

The Master Journal List is available without a subscription, using a free Clarivate account.

Managing my researcher profile

IRIS et ORCID.
Your Web of Science researcher profile remains accessible and editable without a licence.

We do not recommend automatically importing your publications from ORCID into IRIS. However, entering your details into IRIS and then exporting them to ORCID ensures that ORCID contains accurate information, as ORCID is used by OpenAlex.

A brief overview of the current state of knowledge on an issue

Consensus

This needs to be supplemented by a check of the sources cited.

A patent search, or links between articles and patents

Lens.org : patents from over 100 patent offices, with links to the scientific articles cited.

Free, with an account to save and export your searches.

Is OpenAlex recognised?

Yes. OpenAlex is now recognised and is being used more and more by research institutions.

  • BCUL: an analysis carried out in 2025, as part of a review of the possibility of withdrawing from WoS, revealed a growing uptake of OpenAlex. For further information, see the list of references at the bottom of the page.
  • EPFL: partnership for the development of indicators and tools for comparative analysis of universities.
  • Switzerland: the Swiss Library Consortium uses it as a reference source for tracking Open Access publications, via the Swiss Open Access Monitor.
  • Europe : Sorbonne Université, Delft University of Technology and l’Université de Lorraine have chosen it to develop their bibliometric indicators. The CNRS and Delft University of Technology announced in late 2025 that they would be withdrawing from WoS and switching to OpenAlex, amongst other open-access sources.
  • World : The Toronto Metropolitain University has also announced its move towards Open Alex and its withdrawal from WoS.
  • Clarivate : The publisher of WoS announced in September 2025 the open data integration, particularly those from OpenAlex, as part of its own offering. This is a strong indication of the growing legitimacy of this database.

Limitations and best practice

No database is comprehensive, and OpenAlex is no exception. Its coverage and the quality of its metadata (affiliations, authors, citations) vary depending on the discipline and the type of publication.

You can improve the visibility of your work in OpenAlex:

Resources

OpenAlex

Presentation : 
Recherche : 
Advances uses : 

Consensus

Consensus Help

Contact

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