TL;DR. Web of Science (WoS) has a "Global Citation Map" feature that plots a world heatmap of your citations. It works — but requires an expensive institutional subscription and offers no way to share or embed the map. The people you most want to show it to (immigration attorneys, grant reviewers, promotion committees) will not have WoS access. Citation Map produces the same geographic visualization, is completely free, generates a shareable public URL, exports a high-res PNG, and offers an <iframe> embed for any website. Data comes from Google Scholar — the world's largest academic search index.
What is the Web of Science Global Citation Map?
Web of Science, maintained by Clarivate, includes a geographic analytics view sometimes called the "Global Citation Map." Within a WoS session, researchers with institutional access can navigate to their author profile and view a world heatmap that shows citation density by country. The darker the shading, the more citations originate from that country.
The feature has a meaningful limitation: it exists only inside the WoS interface. You cannot link someone to your map, embed it on your faculty page, or export it as a standalone image for a visa petition or grant report without taking a screenshot. And anyone who wants to view your shared visualization needs their own WoS subscription.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Citation Map | Web of Science |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, unlimited | ~$10k–25k/year institutional |
| Individual access (no institution) | Yes, no sign-up | No (institutional paywall) |
| Data source | Google Scholar (largest academic index, free) | Clarivate (curated, ~90M) |
| Geographic world-map view | Yes (primary feature) | Yes (Global Citation Map, paywalled) |
| Shareable public URL | Yes | No |
| Embed on personal website | Yes (<iframe>) | No |
| Export high-res PNG | Yes (2048×1024) | Screenshot only |
Sharing your geographic citation map
Many researchers discover the WoS Global Citation Map for the first time when they see a colleague share one. The reaction is often: "I am really pleased to share with you the geographic citation map from my Web of Science page." But sharing is exactly what WoS makes difficult — the map lives inside a logged-in session and cannot be linked or embedded.
Citation Map solves this. Every author profile on citationmap.com is a permanent public URL. You can share it by email, post it on LinkedIn, link it from your CV, or embed it on your university faculty page — all without requiring the viewer to have any subscription.
Using a citation map for visa and immigration purposes
Some researchers who have WoS access use its Global Citation Map as part of an O-1A, EB-1A, or EB-2 NIW petition package. The challenge: attorneys and USCIS adjudicators do not have WoS access, so they rely on a screenshot — which loses resolution and is not independently verifiable.
Citation Map exports a 2048×1024 PNG directly, with a public URL that an attorney can reference by hyperlink, and the map remains accessible to anyone. See the visa-evidence guide and the EB-1A citation map guide for specific framing advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Web of Science Global Citation Map?
It is a world heatmap within the WoS platform showing which countries have cited a researcher's indexed publications. Access requires an active WoS institutional subscription. The map cannot be shared externally or embedded on websites.
Is there a free alternative to the Web of Science citation map?
Yes. Citation Map provides a free, embeddable geographic citation map using Google Scholar data. No institutional subscription or sign-up required.
How does Citation Map compare to Web of Science for geographic visualization?
Both produce a world map of citation geography. WoS uses the Clarivate database (~90M records); Citation Map uses Google Scholar — the world's largest academic search index, broader in coverage and including more open-access literature. Citation Map adds a shareable URL, embeddable iframe, and high-res PNG export — features WoS does not offer.
Can I share or embed the Web of Science citation map?
No. WoS has no sharing or embed functionality. Citation Map provides both: a public URL and a one-line <iframe> embed code.
I am pleased to share my geographic citation map from my Web of Science page — how do I do that?
Unfortunately, WoS does not support public sharing. The practical solution is to use Citation Map, which generates an equivalent map with a permanent public link you can share freely.
Conclusion
Web of Science's Global Citation Map is a useful feature for researchers with institutional access, but its paywall and lack of sharing/embed capability limit its practical value. Citation Map provides the same geographic visualization for free, with a shareable URL and embeddable iframe. Generate your citation map for free, or read related guides: Citation Map vs Scopus, Citation Map vs Connected Papers, or the about page.