Scite.ai

Scite is a platform that uses deep learning, natural language processing, and a network of experts to identify and promote reliable research by evaluating the veracity of scientific claims. We can automatically classify scientific citations as supporting, refuting, or mentioning, thus enabling us to score the veracity of scientific reports, researchers, institutions, journals, and scientific fields using a measure we call scite.

Autonomous Research Agents

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Founded

2018

Location

New York, NY

Employees

Funding

$5M Seed

Scite.ai — Evidence-Grounded AI for Research Validation and Smart Citations

Scite.ai is a research validation platform best known for its Smart Citations—showing the text surrounding each citation and classifying whether it supports, contrasts, or simply mentions the cited paper. This helps researchers evaluate reliability quickly and trace claims back to primary evidence.

Founded in 2018 by Josh Nicholson and Yuri Lazebnik in New York, Scite was acquired by [Research Solutions (NASDAQ: RSSS)](https://www.researchsolutions.com/resources/press-releases/research-solutions-announces-acquisition-of-scite) in November 2023. Since then, the team has expanded AI search and the grounded [Scite Assistant](https://scite.ai/assistant) while maintaining a focus on verifiable, up-to-date citations.

Index coverage: 1.4B+ citation statements extracted from full text across major publishers and partners

Core competency: ML-powered stance classification for citations (supporting/contrasting/mentioning)

Audience: researchers, students, librarians, R&D teams, and publishers who need speed without sacrificing rigor

Why Scite.ai

**Trustworthy answers with linked evidence**: Ask questions and get responses backed by citation statements that you can inspect and verify .

**Beyond citation counts**: Understand whether a paper is supported or disputed, not just how often it’s cited .

**Faster literature reviews**: Discover, appraise, and synthesize with contextual citations and stance labels—reducing time spent on manual source checking.

**Workflow-friendly**: Extensions, plugins, and exports fit into existing researcher and publisher workflows.

Product Suite

**Smart Citations**: Context and stance for each citation to judge evidence at a glance .

**Scite Assistant (AI agent)**: Grounded Q&A and literature synthesis with links to supporting/contrasting statements .

**Reference Check**: Upload a manuscript PDF to assess the reliability of cited references, flagging retractions and disputed sources .

**AI Search & Dashboards**: Explore topics, trace influence, and monitor fields using citation context.

**Browser Extensions**: Bring Smart Citations into PubMed, Google Scholar, and publisher sites .

**Reference Manager Integrations**: Zotero plugin and library sync; Mendeley sync .

Who It’s For

Graduate students and faculty conducting systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and grant writing

Corporate and pharma R&D teams validating claims and monitoring competitive intelligence

Librarians and research support units training users on evidence evaluation

Journal editors and publishers vetting references during peer review and production

High-Impact Use Cases

**Evidence-grounded Q&A and literature scoping** with [Scite Assistant](https://scite.ai/assistant) to minimize hallucinations and accelerate synthesis

**Rapid manuscript reliability checks** using [Reference Check](https://scite.ai/blog/how-do-i-use-the-scite-reference-check)

**Due diligence on controversial topics** by surfacing contrasting citations

**Retraction and risk screening** to catch problematic references pre-submission

**Reading lists and citation maps** for onboarding or exploring new research areas

**Embedding Smart Citations in publisher platforms** to enhance reader context

Integrations and Partnerships

**Browsers**: Chrome, Firefox, Safari

**Reference Managers**: [Zotero plugin](https://scite.ai/blog/introducing-the-scite-plug-in-for-zotero); [Zotero/Mendeley sync](https://scite.ai/blog/sync-your-zotero-or-mendeley-library-with-scite)

**Publisher Collaborations**: JAMA Network, ACS, SPIE, and Cambridge University Press

Social Proof: What Users Say

Pros

**Grounded answers with linked evidence** build trust; users note strong summarization accuracy

**Time-saving Smart Citations** for literature reviews and appraisal

**Find support vs. dispute**, not just popularity

**Useful browser extension** for PubMed, Google Scholar, and publisher sites

**Complements LLM tools** when sources and context are critical

Cons

**Learning curve**; can feel like a “research cockpit” to new users

**Coverage/classification limits**; occasional mislabels mean human checks still matter

**Full power behind paid plans**; some students find pricing steep without institutional access

Validation and Accuracy

Peer-reviewed and library assessments recognize the value of citation context while noting occasional misclassification. Treat outputs as **decision support**, not final judgment.

[Hypothesis accuracy study](https://journals.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.php/hypothesis/article/view/26528)

[QSS paper on Smart Citations](https://direct.mit.edu/qss/article/2/3/882/102990/scite-A-smart-citation-index-that-displays-the)

Competitive Positioning

Versus traditional discovery tools (e.g., Semantic Scholar, Dimensions), Scite emphasizes **citation context and stance** over raw counts and metrics.

Versus LLM-first tools (e.g., Elicit, Perplexity), Scite’s strength is **verifiable, linked citation statements** that constrain hallucinations and speed source checking.

Company Snapshot

Company: Scite.ai — acquired by [Research Solutions](https://www.researchsolutions.com/resources/press-releases/research-solutions-announces-acquisition-of-scite) in Nov 2023

Founders: Josh Nicholson, Yuri Lazebnik

HQ: New York, US

LinkedIn: [Scite.ai profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sciteai) (industry: Research Services; tagline: “organizing the world’s knowledge”; followers ~4,840; employee count listed ~5)

Try Scite

Explore product: [Homepage](https://scite.ai/) | [Researchers overview](https://scite.ai/partners/researchers)

AI agent: [Scite Assistant](https://scite.ai/assistant)

Manuscript vetting: [Reference Check guide](https://scite.ai/blog/how-do-i-use-the-scite-reference-check)

Extensions: [Install Smart Citations](https://scite.ai/extension-install)

Pricing and free trial: [Start a trial](https://scite.ai/pricing)

Additional Review Sources

User reviews: [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/scite-ai/reviews), [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/231963/scite/)

Community discussions: [r/PhD roundup](https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/1aml6ub/these_are_the_ai_tools_that_have_helped_me_the/), [r/PhD tools](https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/1av0qof/part_2_these_are_the_ai_tools_that_have_helped_me/), [r/GradSchool](https://www.reddit.com/r/GradSchool/comments/10akgpb/softwareapplication_like_scite/), [r/ObsidianMD](https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1f54ft8/does_anyone_use_obsidian_and_sciteai/)

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