Scite
A research discovery tool that shows citation statements classified as supporting, contrasting, or mentioning a paper.
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What to know before choosing
Good fit
Researchers who want to inspect how later papers cite a study or check references for citation context and notices.
Limits and trade-offs
Citation classifications and counts are signals to inspect, not proof that a study is true or false. Full-text access and citation coverage vary; read the citing paper's methods and context before drawing conclusions.
Plans and free allowances
The current pricing page lists Basic at $12/month and Pro at $40/month, billed yearly, plus a 7-day trial that automatically starts the selected plan unless canceled. Currency is not explicitly labeled. The October 2026 update says free accounts no longer include MCP credits; verify current access and trial terms.
Evidence
Scite plans and trial terms ↗ (reviewed 2026-10-15), Scite Smart Citation and research features ↗ (reviewed 2026-10-15), August release notes with October free-MCP update ↗ (reviewed 2026-10-15), September 2026 MCP and collection updates ↗ (reviewed 2026-10-15), Scite privacy policy ↗ (reviewed 2026-10-15)
Official published documentation reviewed; no product test. Last source review is not a date of product testing.
A closer look at Scite
Scite indexes citation statements and classifies them as supporting, contrasting, or mentioning, with search, reports, an Assistant, and reference-checking features. Use it to find citation context and follow leads, then read relevant papers and methods before making a research claim.
Editorial guidance based on published documentation. The workflow below is a suggested starting point, not a measured product result.
When to choose Scite
- A researcher wants to see how later articles cite a specific paper before including it in a literature review.
- An author or reviewer wants to check a manuscript reference list for citation context or notices.
When to choose something else
- A team needs a tool to determine by itself whether a scientific result is valid or whether a paper's methods are sound.
- A systematic review requires documented screening without human review of source papers.
A practical starting workflow
- Start with a DOI, paper title, or claim and search for the paper's citing statements.
- Inspect supporting, contrasting, and mentioning examples and open citing papers where possible.
- Compare each statement with the citing paper's question, methods, population, and limitations.
- Check retraction or editorial notices and confirm reference details against publisher or Crossref records.
- Save useful papers to a collection or export an evidence trail; cite only claims checked in original sources.
Check before committing
- Smart Citation labels are model classifications; they do not independently establish the truth of a study.
- Full-text reading through MCP is limited to permissively licensed open papers and content available through an institution.
- An older 25-free-MCP-credit bullet is superseded by its October 2026 update removing free MCP credits.
Common questions
What do supporting, contrasting, and mentioning labels mean?
Scite describes these as model classifications of citation statements extracted from research papers; inspect the statement and citing paper before interpreting a label.
Does Scite offer a free trial?
The current pricing page offers a 7-day trial and says the selected plan starts automatically when the trial ends unless canceled.
Do free accounts still receive MCP credits?
The October 2026 update says free accounts no longer include MCP credits, overriding an older bullet on the same page that mentioned 25 credits.
Can Scite read full papers through MCP?
The September 2026 note says full-text reading is available for permissively licensed open-access papers and content the user's institution is entitled to access.
Compare approaches for this task
- Elicit — Researchers who want to structure academic searches, extract study details into a table, or export references for checking.
- Consensus — People who need a first-pass map of published research with citations to verify.
- Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) — Summarizing an approved packet and locating cited passages for a draft, course outline, or evidence review.