One of the main objectives of university research is to have an impact on society. However, it is often difficult to demonstrate this impact. One way in which the influence of research on society can be made visible is through its inclusion in policy documents, such as WHO recommendations or UNESCO guidelines. Such citations are not usually recorded by conventional citation databases, such as Web of Science, as these generally do not cover policy documents.
Overton closes this gap in the field of policy documentation. The political documents and reports provided by government agencies, international governmental organisations (IGOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), think tanks and other political decision-makers cover a wide range of topics, including economics, education, the environment, health, politics, international relations, sociology and social policy. The database also offers tools for bibliometric analysis.
Citations in policy documents can be helpful, for example, when applying for third-party funding in order to demonstrate an impact on society.
A practical example: A paper by Associate Professor Stefan Palan was cited in a White House report (during the Biden administration). This was verified using Overton.
Overton is also ideal for researching and investigating policy documents. With a data pool of over 23 million documents from 190 countries, Overton provides a comprehensive resource for researchers, students and administrators.
The database's website offers video tutorials on how to use it as well as case studies.
- Introductory video on Overton
- Help pages – Getting Started and Searching
- Case studies showing how others use Overton
Overton will hold a live training session for members of the University of Graz on 11 March 2026. Full details will be available shortly in the Publication Services course programme.
You need to register to use the personalisation features. Registration is free of charge. The University Library accepts no responsibility for the processing of your data by the provider.
Please pay attention to both the publisher’s and the university’s terms of use.
The database is accessible from anywhere on campus via unikat and DBIS (switch to English at the top of the page). University members can access it remotely via VPN. Please note: enter https://univpn.uni-graz.at/ub in the VPN address field.
Have you discovered our video tutorials on uniKAT, literature research and literature management? We also offer training courses during the semester. You can find more information under Support & Courses.
If you have any questions about this database, please contact ub.zeitschriften(at)uni-graz.at.