AI research tool that shows how scientific papers have been cited — whether they were supported, contradicted or simply mentioned by subsequent research
💰 Free plan · Premium from $20/mo · 🆓 Yes — limited free · 👥 Researchers, academics and evidence-based professionals
Scite is an academic research platform that analyses how scientific papers have been cited — specifically whether citing papers support, contrast or merely mention the findings of each study. This 'smart citation' system helps researchers quickly evaluate the reliability of evidence and identify studies where findings have been disputed or replicated. With over 1 billion citation statements analysed, Scite helps researchers conduct more rigorous literature reviews and avoid building arguments on contested or disproved findings.
Who is it for?
Academic researchers, scientists, evidence-based practitioners and policy analysts who need to evaluate the quality and reliability of scientific evidence. Scite is particularly valuable for systematic reviewers, meta-analysts and anyone conducting evidence-based research where citation context matters.
Key Features
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Smart Citations
Shows whether citing papers support, contradict or simply mention a paper — goes beyond just citation counts.
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Research Search
Search 1.2B+ citation statements — find papers that directly address your research question.
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Citation Dashboard
See the full citation profile of any paper — how many support vs contradict its findings.
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Assistant
AI research assistant that answers questions with cited academic sources — similar to Perplexity but academic-focused.
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Reference Check
Paste a reference list and Scite checks how well-supported each paper is — flags contradicted or retracted work.
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Alerts
Get notified when new papers cite, support or contradict your saved papers — stay current in your field.
Pros & Cons
What we like
Smart citations is a unique and genuinely useful feature
Identifies contradicted research — critical for evidence-based work
1.2B+ citation statements is comprehensive
Reference check catches problematic citations before publication
Citation alerts keep researchers current
Watch out for
Premium required for full access
Less intuitive than Elicit for literature discovery
Scite has a limited free plan that includes basic citation searching and smart citation previews. Premium at $20/month unlocks unlimited searches, the full Assistant feature and reference checks.
Google Scholar shows how many times a paper has been cited but not whether citations support or contradict it. Scite's smart citations classify each citation as supporting, contradicting or mentioning — letting researchers quickly assess how well a paper's findings hold up across subsequent research.