Web of Science Format Converter

This repository contains two Python scripts that allow you to convert Web of Science bibliographic data between the following formats:

• TabDelimited.txt → WOS.xlsx and PlainText.txt
• Filtered WOS.xlsx → Filtered TabDelimited.txt and Filtered PlainText.txt

These tools are particularly useful when you:

• Need to extract cited references (which the default WOS Excel export omits).
• Apply document filtering using tools like PRISMA and need to export the cleaned dataset.

---

🔧 Scripts Overview

1. WOS_Converter_TabDelimited_to_xlsx_PlainText.py

Purpose: Converts the WOS TabDelimited.txt export file to:

• A full-featured Excel file (WOS.xlsx)
• A plain-text Web of Science format file (PlainText.txt) that includes full tagging (e.g., AU, CR, etc.)

Use this script right after downloading from Web of Science.

---

2. WOS_Converter_Filtered_xlsx_to_TabDelimitedText_PlainText.py

Purpose: After filtering your Excel file (e.g., manually or via PRISMA), use this script to:

• Reconstruct the tab-delimited format (TabDelimited.txt)
• Recreate the tagged plain-text format (PlainText.txt) for further processing

Use this after filtering your Excel (WOS_Filtered.xlsx) to retain only relevant records.

---

💡 How to Use

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/wos-format-converter.git
   cd wos-format-converter

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install pandas

3. Run the appropriate script based on your workflow:

   python WOS_Converter_TabDelimited_to_xlsx_PlainText.py
   # OR
   python WOS_Converter_Filtered_xlsx_to_TabDelimitedText_PlainText.py

---

📂 Input/Output Examples

Initial Conversion:

• Input: TabDelimited.txt
• Output: WOS.xlsx, PlainText.txt

After Filtering:

• Input: WOS_Filtered.xlsx
• Output: TabDelimited_Filtered.txt, PlainText_Filtered.txt

---

🧪 Compatibility with Bibliometric Tools

✅ VOSviewer

The TabDelimited.txt file generated by this tool is suitable for VOSviewer, a software tool for constructing and visualizing bibliometric networks.

Cite VOSviewer as:
Van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2010). Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), 523–538.
https://www.vosviewer.com

---

✅ Bibliometrix (Biblioshiny in R)

The PlainText.txt output is compatible with the Bibliometrix R package and its web-based interface Biblioshiny for comprehensive science mapping analysis.

Cite Bibliometrix as:
Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959–975.
https://www.bibliometrix.org

---

✅ CiteSpace

The PlainText.txt output is also compatible with CiteSpace, a Java-based application for visualizing and analyzing trends and patterns in scientific literature.

To ensure compatibility with CiteSpace:

• Export records in Plain Text format with Full Record and Cited References
• Name files as download_*.txt (e.g., download_1.txt)
• Use data from supported sources like Web of Science or Scopus

Cite CiteSpace as:
Chen, C. (2006). CiteSpace II: Detecting and visualizing emerging trends and transient patterns in scientific literature. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 57(3), 359–377.
https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20317

---

📌 Notes

• The conversion preserves essential Web of Science tags (AU, TI, CR, etc.)
• Cited references (CR) are correctly included in the plain-text output, unlike in the native WOS Excel export
• Column mapping is based on the official WOS format standard

---

✍️ Author

Created by Nasser Khalili
If you use this tool in your research, feel free to give a ⭐ or cite the repository.

---

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.