Social Sciences Citation Index

a) Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Philadelphia: ISI 1973- It provides access to over 1700 leading Social Sciences journals in various disciplines as well as selected relevant item from over 3300 leading scientific and technical journals & the world. It also covers some monographs. Indexes are on the pattern of SCI It is available in various physical formats and media. Printed form is published 3 times in a year, with annual and multi-year cumulation. CD-ROM published four times a year started from 1989. Fourth disc is an annual cumulation. Back volumes are available through 1981.

b) Social Sciences Citation Index with Abstract, 1992 - Monthly (12/year) CD-ROM Format in eleven cumulative updates with twelfth disc as an annual cumulation. Back volumes are available through 1992.

c) Social Sciences Citation Index-Journal Citation Reports JCR is also available in CD-ROM (Annual) and Microfiche (Annual) formats.
In both these examples, the Citation Index (1) (a) and (2) (a) provides access to complete bibliographic information whereas Citation Index with Abstracts includes abstracts provided by authors in addition to index and are available only in CD-ROM format. The JCRs of the Citation Indexes offer a systematic and objective means of determining the relative importance of journals with regards to -

1.  how often a journal has been cited; 
2.  Through which journals, a journal has been cited; 
3.  how soon after publication and for how long a journal has been cited; and 
4.  which journals are cited through a particular journal.