OpenAlex generally offers broader coverage but varies in metadata completeness and accuracy compared to Scopus and Web of Science, with implications for citation searching outlined primarily in studies [1] and [2].

• Metadata Completeness and Accuracy: OpenAlex captures more diverse sources, including preprints, and excels in fields like ORCID identifiers but has lower abstract completeness than Scopus and Web of Science. It shows strengths in broader overall coverage and inclusivity, particularly for Global South publications, yet struggles with aspects like affiliation and funding data [1][2][4].

• Citation Searching Effectiveness: Discrepancies in citation counts and coverage exist, impacting OpenAlex's effectiveness compared to Scopus. While there is high agreement in rank correlations for citation coverage at the country level, issues like language identification and zero-indexed references highlight areas needing improvement [2].

• Field-normalized Citation Scores: OpenAlex exhibits comparable field-normalized citation scores to Scopus and Web of Science, suggesting its potential for bibliometric evaluations despite some metadata drawbacks [5].

• Challenges and Recommendations: OpenAlex needs enhancements in metadata completeness, particularly in references and affiliations, and better author disambiguation to match the quality of commercial databases fully [1][2][4]. Overall, while promising, OpenAlex requires these improvements to become a more effective tool for citation searching in complex bibliometric analyses.

• These papers conduct empirical comparisons of metadata completeness and accuracy between OpenAlex and proprietary databases like Scopus and Web of Science.
• References: [1, 2, 4]
• Details:
  • [1] Examines reference coverage and metadata fields, comparing ORCID identifiers and abstracts among OpenAlex, Scopus, and WoS.
  • [2] Compares metadata completeness, citation coverage per country, and document type differences between OpenAlex and Scopus.
  • [4] Analyzes coverage and metadata availability for African publications in OpenAlex compared to Scopus and WoS.

• These studies focus on aspects relevant to citation searching, including citation coverage analysis and implications for bibliometric research.
• References: [2, 5]
• Details:
  • [2] Analyzes citation coverage discrepancies and metadata issues that impact citation searching.
  • [5] Provides empirical data comparing OpenAlex's field-normalized scores with Scopus and WoS, relevant for evaluating citation searching.

• Papers in this category discuss specific metadata fields and challenges related to OpenAlex when compared to other databases.
• References: [1, 4]
• Details:
  • [1] Highlights discrepancies in reference counts and author disambiguation in OpenAlex versus Scopus and WoS.
  • [4] Notes limitations in metadata concerning affiliations, references, and funder information in OpenAlex.

• These papers situate OpenAlex within a broader analysis of multiple bibliometric databases, although not focusing solely on empirical comparisons with Scopus or WoS.
• References: [3, 6, 9]
• Details:
  • [3] Evaluates backward and forward citation coverage across 59 databases, including OpenAlex.
  • [6] Compares geographical and disciplinary coverage of OA journals in OpenAlex, Scopus, and WoS.
  • [9] Analyzes metadata completeness in various free-access databases like OpenAlex, without including Scopus or WoS.

• Papers that orient OpenAlex within the historical and conceptual development of bibliometric databases.
• References: [7, 10]
• Details:
  • [7] Analyzes errors in Scopus and WoS without mentioning OpenAlex, provides insights into traditional database challenges.
  • [10] Compares OpenAlex with Microsoft Academic Graph, focusing on metadata changes during the transition, but does not include Scopus or WoS.

These categories encapsulate the critical aspects related to metadata completeness and accuracy comparisons specifically between OpenAlex, Scopus, and Web of Science, with a particular focus on elements relevant for citation searching.