Find answers to Overton’s frequently asked questions
Access to Overton
What are the different access options for Overton subscribers?
Overton is typically free for academic research purposes (though we ask that if you can include costs in grant proposals you do) and paid for other types of use.
Overton access will depend on the type of Overton license a user has. For organisation wide licenses, Overton offers access to the platform through IP, Open Athens authentication, Verified Email Domains, a group invite link or through our API.
For team licenses, we offer access through a group invite link, by manually adding individual accounts for users or through the API.
For individuals who have free researcher accounts or are on an Academic Supporter Plan, we offer access by manually adding accounts and providing access to the API.
Overton access will depend on the type of Overton license a user has. For organisation wide licenses, Overton offers access to the platform through IP, Open Athens authentication, Verified Email Domains, a group invite link or through our API.
For team licenses, we offer access through a group invite link, by manually adding individual accounts for users or through the API.
For individuals who have free researcher accounts or are on an Academic Supporter Plan, we offer access by manually adding accounts and providing access to the API.
How can I access Overton’s API?
If you would like to have access to Overton’s API, please send a message to support@overton.io
API
Do I have a page limit for the number of pages that can be returned at one time when using the API?
Yes, the page limit in the API typically matches what you’re able to see in the app.
By default the limit for the Search Policy Documents search page is 100 pages of results. In the Search Scholarly Articles page, there are 50 pages of results.
We’re able to tweak these limits to some extent, but if you’re fetching ’00s of pages of results you may be better asking us about data snapshots.
By default the limit for the Search Policy Documents search page is 100 pages of results. In the Search Scholarly Articles page, there are 50 pages of results.
We’re able to tweak these limits to some extent, but if you’re fetching ’00s of pages of results you may be better asking us about data snapshots.
Data
Is ‘Registry Org Registry’ (RoR) used for institutional data?
Not yet. We’re still using GRiD, which is a similar system now rolled into RoR. GRiD is no longer maintained separately.
We’re still in the process of moving from using GRiDs to RoR IDs internally.
You can learn more about where we get affiliations from here: https://help.overton.io/article/how-does-overton-know-about-author-affiliations/
We’re still in the process of moving from using GRiDs to RoR IDs internally.
You can learn more about where we get affiliations from here: https://help.overton.io/article/how-does-overton-know-about-author-affiliations/
Exports
Can I export more than 1K rows in Excel?
Unfortunately not at the moment – this is a technical limitation.
If you’re exporting policy document results an alternative would be to use the CSV option instead which will give you more rows of data.
It’s slightly less rich – it’s missing the context of why each result has been matched – but for most purposes will give you all the metadata that you need.
If you’re exporting policy document results an alternative would be to use the CSV option instead which will give you more rows of data.
It’s slightly less rich – it’s missing the context of why each result has been matched – but for most purposes will give you all the metadata that you need.
Can users export policy documents in RIS format?
Yes, users can export both single and bulk policy document results (up to 1000 rows) in RIS. RIS is used by most reference managers including EndNote, Zotero, and Rayyan.
Can I increase the export limit for CSV exports from the ‘Search Scholarly Articles’ search?
Unfortunately this is not possible. If you have a very large result set a snapshot may be more appropriate. For more information and support, please contact support@overton.io
Filters
Can multiple options be selected in an individual filter?
Yes. If you use the “show more” option underneath each filter box then you’ll have the ability to select multiple options per filter in the pop up that opens.
Policy Documents
Why can I see a different publication date for a policy document result than what is on the website where it is from?
Sometimes a policy source updates a policy document with a revised version instead of creating a new record page for it. It is possible when this happens that the date that Overton picks up in the metadata does not match the new publication date of the revised version of policy documents.
Where does a policy document abstract come from?
Most of the time we get an abstract for a policy document from the metadata tags for the document.
Sometimes this data isn’t available. In these cases, we will check the webpage where the document is from and see if there is an abstract available. If there is no abstract on the webpage, the policy document record in Overton will not have an abstract.
Sometimes this data isn’t available. In these cases, we will check the webpage where the document is from and see if there is an abstract available. If there is no abstract on the webpage, the policy document record in Overton will not have an abstract.
If a policy paper is harvested from multiple sources, will it show as a duplicate in the app search results?
Yes, duplicate results can occur. The reasons for it include:
– Overton obtains a policy document from from the policy author’s website and from an aggregator source.
– A document is co-published by 2 or more organisations, e.g. WHO and FAO, and we obtain it from both.
– An organisation replaces a document with an updated one, but at different URL.
– An organisation publishes the ‘same’ document in multiple languages, each with its own associated web page.
As most policy documents don’t have DOIs or other publication identifiers, it can be tricky to identify duplicates without risking accidentally merging related documents that aren’t quite duplicates.
– Overton obtains a policy document from from the policy author’s website and from an aggregator source.
– A document is co-published by 2 or more organisations, e.g. WHO and FAO, and we obtain it from both.
– An organisation replaces a document with an updated one, but at different URL.
– An organisation publishes the ‘same’ document in multiple languages, each with its own associated web page.
As most policy documents don’t have DOIs or other publication identifiers, it can be tricky to identify duplicates without risking accidentally merging related documents that aren’t quite duplicates.
Results
Why does a policy document result record say there are no research citations found but when I look at the PDF, there are clear research citations?
This can sometimes happen when a document has been updated in-situ on the policy source site.
Overton will visit the document page and collect the PDF. It then won’t revisit that page unless its web address (URL) changes.
However, sometimes a PDF will be updated or revised and uploaded to the same page. Overton isn’t aware that the PDF has changed so will only have the older version in its index.
If you notice that we are not picking up research citations in a document where there clearly are some, please let us know at support@overton.io.
Overton will visit the document page and collect the PDF. It then won’t revisit that page unless its web address (URL) changes.
However, sometimes a PDF will be updated or revised and uploaded to the same page. Overton isn’t aware that the PDF has changed so will only have the older version in its index.
If you notice that we are not picking up research citations in a document where there clearly are some, please let us know at support@overton.io.
Is there a limit on how many results can be viewed in the app?
Yes – unfortunately there’s a hard limit on the number of items that our search engine can return. You shouldn’t hit this limit unless you’re trying to export very large sets of documents – if this is the case please contact us.
Does Overton capture all research citations from institutions that are found in policy documents?
We try to! Overton will try to match all of the citations in policy document, regardless of where they were published or by who.
We then try to figure out which universities are related to the cited papers – to find the affiliations for those papers.
Overton gets public affiliation data from OpenAlex and the affiliation data there covers about 80% of the literature.
This means that if you search for policy documents citing work from your university it’ll be a bit of an undercount (as not all of the scholarly papers from your university will have affiliations in OpenAlex).
If you’re searching by person or identifiers e.g. using a list of DOIs you won’t encounter this issue.
We then try to figure out which universities are related to the cited papers – to find the affiliations for those papers.
Overton gets public affiliation data from OpenAlex and the affiliation data there covers about 80% of the literature.
This means that if you search for policy documents citing work from your university it’ll be a bit of an undercount (as not all of the scholarly papers from your university will have affiliations in OpenAlex).
If you’re searching by person or identifiers e.g. using a list of DOIs you won’t encounter this issue.
Search
What happens if a policy document has been taken down by the policy source?
With very few exceptions all of the policy documents we index in Overton are freely available online – we think it’s important that users are able to audit any results they find using the platform.
Overton provides links to the webpages where we pick up policy documents from so that users can access the full-text of the policy documents they are interested in. Over time, there is the possibility that some policy documents may be removed from the website where we found them or the link becomes inactive. In the event a policy document is no longer available online, the citations and mentions found in that document will still appear in your search results.
Overton keeps a copy of the document’s metadata so it will continue to accrue citations and provide citation matches.While we do fetch PDFs as part of our metadata collection process, we generally cannot share these or full text with users without permission from the original source.
Overton provides links to the webpages where we pick up policy documents from so that users can access the full-text of the policy documents they are interested in. Over time, there is the possibility that some policy documents may be removed from the website where we found them or the link becomes inactive. In the event a policy document is no longer available online, the citations and mentions found in that document will still appear in your search results.
Overton keeps a copy of the document’s metadata so it will continue to accrue citations and provide citation matches.While we do fetch PDFs as part of our metadata collection process, we generally cannot share these or full text with users without permission from the original source.
Sources
What happens if a policy document has been taken down by the policy source?
With very few exceptions all of the policy documents we index in Overton are freely available online – we think it’s important that users are able to audit any results they find using the platform.
Overton provides links to the webpages where we pick up policy documents from so that users can access the full-text of the policy documents they are interested in. Over time, there is the possibility that some policy documents may be removed from the website where we found them or the link becomes inactive. In the event a policy document is no longer available online, the citations and mentions found in that document will still appear in your search results.
Overton keeps a copy of the document’s metadata so it will continue to accrue citations and provide citation matches.While we do fetch PDFs as part of our metadata collection process, we generally cannot share these or full text with users without permission from the original source.
Overton provides links to the webpages where we pick up policy documents from so that users can access the full-text of the policy documents they are interested in. Over time, there is the possibility that some policy documents may be removed from the website where we found them or the link becomes inactive. In the event a policy document is no longer available online, the citations and mentions found in that document will still appear in your search results.
Overton keeps a copy of the document’s metadata so it will continue to accrue citations and provide citation matches.While we do fetch PDFs as part of our metadata collection process, we generally cannot share these or full text with users without permission from the original source.
How do I know when a source has been updated?
Most sources are updated weekly however we do have some sources which are complicated ‘pulls’ – these sources are updated monthly.
To check when a sources has been updated, go to the “Search Policy Documents” tab and use the “from Source” filter to select the source you want to check. The publication date of the policy documents will be underneath the title.
To check a specific date range, after applying the “From Source” filter, find and apply the “Added after” and the “Added before” filters.
To check when a sources has been updated, go to the “Search Policy Documents” tab and use the “from Source” filter to select the source you want to check. The publication date of the policy documents will be underneath the title.
To check a specific date range, after applying the “From Source” filter, find and apply the “Added after” and the “Added before” filters.
What kind of sources are categorised as “think tank”?
“Think tank” is a catchall category including charities and aid organisations.
We are looking at overhauling our policy source taxonomy to something more granular in the near future.
We are looking at overhauling our policy source taxonomy to something more granular in the near future.
Does Overton distinguish between geographically locations of the same organisation?
Organisations that have geographically diverse departments or offices will appear as one organisation within Overton. This is because we pull organisational affiliation data from OpenAlex. OpenAlex does not differentiate by country offices or departments within an institution.
If you need to search for articles from your specific department or location, your best chance of success is to search using a list of publication DOIs. To learn more, see this article.
If you need to search for articles from your specific department or location, your best chance of success is to search using a list of publication DOIs. To learn more, see this article.
Does Overton index legislation?
Overton does not generally index legislation. That said, we pick up supporting documents like government debates where government bills and legislation is talked about. The one exception is the source EUR-Lex.
What is the difference between a policy source and a policy author?
A policy source is the website where we have picked up the policy documents. Sometimes the website represents a single policy author. Sometimes, a policy source is more an aggregator of documents from many policy authors (individual or organisational). One example of this is the Publications Office of the European Union – they are a policy source in Overton but have documents authored by many policy authors. The filter ‘policy author’ in ‘Search Policy Documents’ can be useful in seeing who the actual policy authors are when you are searching within particular policy sources.