What Scite does
Scite is a scholarly discovery and evaluation platform built around citation statements, machine-learning classifications, reference checks, and source-grounded research assistance.
Traditional citation counts reveal attention but not what later authors said. Scite’s central contribution is to surface citation statements and classify their rhetorical relationship to the cited work. A researcher can move from “this paper has many citations” to “these later passages report compatible evidence, disagreement, or ordinary background use.”
That context is valuable during literature review, peer review, and claim checking. It can expose retractions, disputed findings, or references that do not support the sentence attached to them. The classification is automated, however, and scientific argument rarely fits perfectly into three labels. A contrasting citation may challenge a method rather than the conclusion; a supporting citation may repeat a claim without independently testing it.
Scite also offers research search, an Assistant grounded in scholarly material, dashboards, browser integrations, reference checks, and organizational or API routes. Its current official pricing endpoint did not provide a stable public dollar amount during this review, so buyers should verify the live checkout or obtain a quote instead of relying on archived third-party pricing.
The product works best as an evidence-navigation layer beside full-text reading and discipline-specific databases. Citation coverage varies with indexing and access, newer work needs time to accumulate citations, and counts can reward popularity. Never convert the ratio of labels into a truth score; inspect passages, methods, samples, chronology, corrections, and the broader evidence base.
How Scite works
Scite links papers to the surrounding text in later works that cite them, then machine-learning models classify each citation statement as supporting, contrasting, or mentioning. Search, dashboards, reference checks, and Assistant organize those contexts, but users must read the citing and cited studies before interpreting a label.
Link papers through citations
Scite resolves scholarly records and connects cited papers to later documents that reference them. Coverage depends on indexed publications, accessible citation text, correct metadata, and time for newer work to accumulate citations.
Expose the citing passage
Instead of showing only a count, Smart Citations surface surrounding citation statements. This helps distinguish background references, attempted replication, methodological criticism, and evidence that speaks directly to a claim.
Apply an automated relationship label
Machine-learning models label statements as supporting, contrasting, or mentioning. The label describes the passage’s relationship to the cited work, not study quality or truth, and nuanced language can be misclassified.
Read both sides of the link
Inspect the full citing and cited papers, methods, chronology, corrections, independence, and broader literature. Use dashboards, Assistant, or reference checks to organize work without converting label ratios into a scientific vote.
How to set up Scite
Define the claim to test
Write the exact scientific claim, key paper, population, outcome, and date boundary instead of searching a vague topic.
Find and save the correct record
Confirm title, authors, DOI, version, and retraction or correction status before interpreting citation information.
Inspect citation statements
Review supporting, contrasting, and mentioning contexts and open enough surrounding text to understand what is actually being discussed.
Check the underlying studies
Read methods and results in both papers, distinguish independent replication from repetition, and note automated label errors.
Export a qualified conclusion
Record the search date and coverage limitations, link decisive passages, and describe evidence without treating label counts as a vote.
Scite FAQs
What is a Scite Smart Citation?
It combines a citation statement with bibliographic context and an automated label indicating whether the passage supports, contrasts with, or mentions the cited work.
Are Scite’s citation labels always correct?
No. They are machine-learning classifications and should be checked against the passage and both papers, especially for nuanced or consequential claims.
How much does Scite cost?
Scite offers paid access, but its official pricing endpoint did not expose a stable public amount during this review. Confirm current individual or organizational pricing directly.
Does a high supporting count prove a paper is true?
No. Counts do not establish study quality, independence, causality, or truth. Read the methods, contexts, corrections, and broader literature.
Listing reviewed 2026-07-15. Product details and pricing can change; verify important terms on the provider's website.
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