What is Scite?
Scite is an AI-powered research platform that searches across more than 300 million scholarly articles, preprints, books, patents, and datasets. It goes beyond abstracts to read the full text of papers, so you can find what's actually inside the research. The platform is built on licensed agreements with over 44 publishers, giving it access to content other tools can't reach.
When you ask a question, Scite's AI Assistant gives you answers grounded in real papers. Every claim links back to the specific sentence in the specific paper it came from, so you can verify the work in one click. Smart Citations show how later research has supported, challenged, or discussed a paper, claim, method, journal, author, institution, or funder. This helps you understand whether the evidence behind a finding is strong, contested, or uncertain.
Scite works where you work. It runs inside Claude, ChatGPT, and any MCP-compatible assistant, plugs into Zotero, and is available through an API for teams building their own tools. With over 2 million researchers, students, and industry experts using it, Scite is designed for anyone who needs trustworthy, citation-backed answers for their research.
Scite features
- Smart Citations: See whether a finding has been supported or contradicted by later research.
- Full-Text Search: Go beyond abstracts to find what's actually inside the research.
- Verifiable Evidence: Every answer is grounded in real papers, never generated or hallucinated.
- Broad Coverage: Search across 300M+ articles, preprints, books, patents, and datasets.
- Workflow Integration: Runs inside Claude, ChatGPT, Zotero, and any MCP-compatible assistant.
What you can do with Scite
- Verify whether a scientific claim is supported or contradicted by later studies.
- Find related work to cite when writing a paper or literature review.
- Trace an idea from funded proposal to published finding to commercial application.
- Check the strength of evidence behind a method, journal, author, or institution.
How to get started with Scite
- Start a free trial on Scite's website.
- Ask a question or search for a topic in the search bar.
- Review the citation-backed answers and click through to verify sources.
Tips for better results with Scite
- Start with a specific research question rather than a broad topic, and Scite will surface the most relevant full-text passages instead of generic abstracts.
- Click through the Smart Citations for any key claim you find, so you can see whether later papers support or contradict that finding before you cite it.
- Use Scite inside Zotero or your MCP-compatible assistant to check citations as you write, rather than searching separately and copying results back.
- Trace a finding backward through patents, grants, and preprints in Scite to understand the full evidence trail behind a claim, not just the final paper.
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Scite pricing
Scite offers a free trial before you pay. Check scite.ai for current plans.
What to check before you rely on Scite
- Check your trial's remaining usage or plan limits before starting a large literature review, since the pricing page only shows a trial option.
- Confirm whether your institution or organization already has a subscription, because the website does not list individual plan prices or tiers.
- Review Scite's data privacy policy for how your queries and exported citations are handled, as the site does not state this information explicitly.
Who Scite is for
Scite suits researchers, PhD students, academics and industry experts. If that is not you, the AI research tools below may fit better.
Similar tools compared with Scite
| Tool | What it is | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Scite | AI research assistant with smart citations | Free trial |
| OpenSI | AI model comparison and pricing tool | See website |
| ChatPDF | AI chat and summarizer for PDFs | Freemium |
| Consensus | AI search engine for research papers | See website |
| SciSpace | AI research assistant for academic work | Freemium |
Scite FAQ
What does Scite do?
Scite is an AI research assistant that searches millions of scholarly articles and gives you answers grounded in real papers. It shows whether claims are supported or contradicted by later research through Smart Citations.
Is Scite free?
Scite offers a free trial, but the website does not state whether there is a permanent free plan. You can start a free trial and then choose a paid plan if you need continued access.
Who is Scite for?
Scite is for researchers, PhD students, academics, and industry experts who need to evaluate scientific literature. It's used by over 2 million people at universities and organizations worldwide.
Can I use Scite with other tools?
Yes. Scite runs inside Claude, ChatGPT, and any MCP-compatible assistant. It also plugs into Zotero and offers an API for teams building their own research tools.
What can Scite export or connect to beyond ChatGPT and Zotero?
Scite integrates with Claude, ChatGPT, Zotero, and any MCP-compatible assistant, and offers an API for teams. The website does not list other specific export formats or integrations. For the most current list of integrations, check the Integrations section on scite.ai.
Does Scite run on mobile devices or require a specific operating system?
Scite is a web-based platform, so you can access it through a browser on any device with internet. The website does not mention dedicated mobile apps or specific OS requirements. For the latest information on supported platforms, check scite.ai directly.
What does the Scite free trial include, and do I need an account to use it?
Scite offers a free trial, but the website does not specify its duration or features. You will need to create an account to start the trial. For details on what the trial covers and any limitations, visit the Pricing page on scite.ai.
