Scite.ai

Scite.ai shows how other papers cite a paper, not just how many times it was cited. Its Smart Citations classify each citing sentence as supporting, contrasting, or merely mentioning the work, so you can see whether later research backs a finding or challenges it. The platform has analyzed more than 1.6 billion citation statements from scholarly literature. Researchers use it to check sources before citing them, spot retracted papers, and track how a claim holds up over time before they build an argument on it.

Key Features

1. Smart Citations

Every citation gets a label — supporting, contrasting, or mentioning — with the citing sentence shown, so you judge evidence by context, not by count.

2. Reference Check

Upload a manuscript and Scite.ai scans its references for retracted, disputed, or unsupported sources before you submit the paper.

3. AI Assistant

Ask a research question in plain words and get an answer built from cited papers, with each claim linked to its source sentence.

4. Retraction Flags

Papers that were later retracted or corrected carry a visible flag, so you do not cite work that the field has withdrawn.

5. Browser Extension

The extension adds Smart Citation badges to Google Scholar and PubMed pages, so you see citation context while you search.

6. Dashboards & Alerts

Save papers and topics to a dashboard and get alerts when new citations appear, so you follow a debate as it develops.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are Smart Citations?

Smart Citations are citation statements classified as supporting, contrasting, or mentioning. Each one shows the sentence where a later paper cited the work, so you can see whether the finding was confirmed, challenged, or only referenced.

How is Scite.ai different from Google Scholar?

Google Scholar shows how many times a paper was cited; Scite.ai shows what each citation says. That context tells you whether later research supported or disputed the paper, not just that it was noticed.

Can it check my manuscript's references?

Yes. Reference Check scans an uploaded manuscript and flags references that were retracted, disputed, or lack support, before you submit the paper.

Does Scite.ai still have a free plan?

No. The current pricing page lists paid plans only, with a 7-day free trial on Basic and Pro. An older free Connect tier is no longer shown on the pricing page.

Does Scite.ai work with Zotero?

Yes. Scite.ai offers a Zotero plugin that brings Smart Citation data into your reference library, so you check citation context without leaving your workflow.

Who is it for?

It is for researchers, students, and editors who cite published work and need to verify that their sources still hold up. Anyone doing a literature review benefits most.

Conclusion

Scite.ai earns its place by answering the question citation counts cannot: did later research back this paper up? For literature reviews and fact-checking, that context is hard to replace. Paid plans are the only option now, so try the 7-day trial first and judge it on your own references. If source quality matters to your work, it is worth testing.