Overton Index now available to UT San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio faculty, staff and students
The Libraries of UT Health San Antonio and UT San Antonio have partnered to license a new database – the Overton Index – the first electronic information resource acquired jointly by the libraries for the unified institution.
With more than 23 million documents, the Overton Index is the world’s largest policy and gray literature database. It tracks where and how scholarly works – journal articles, books and book chapters written by faculty, students, and researchers – are cited in policy documents from around the world, and it provides insights into how research enters public discussions and shapes public policy.
This product is designed to support policy research and links to policy documents, guidelines, think tank publications and working papers, making it an invaluable resource to instructors who need policy-focused course content or researchers pursuing policy-related topics. The Overton Index is relevant to university administrators interested in how scholarly research conducted at UT San Antonio impacts public policy and how it is cited in policy documents around the world. The database is also useful to individual faculty and researchers to bolster their grant and funding applications and to measure research impact for tenure and promotion.
Previously, neither of the Libraries subscribed to this resource, according to Andrea Schorr, Associate Director for Collections, Acquisitions and Resource Discovery Services for the Health Science Center Libraries. “This offered us an opportunity to explore a joint license for a resource that was new to all of our faculty, staff and students,” said Schorr.
Christopher Frei, Pharm.D., Program Director for the Translational Sciences Ph.D. Program, contacted the Health Science Center Libraries to recommend this database for purchase. Jeff Uribe-Lacy, Liaison Librarian for the Health Science Center Libraries, worked with Dr. Frei to gather more information.
Based on Dr. Frei’s request, the academic and health libraries partnered to offer trial access to this resource to seek feedback on the potential purchase from university administrators and faculty from across the unified university. The trial received positive feedback, and a one-year license was purchased.
The database is now available for use on both campuses. Faculty, staff, and students may access the resource through their respective libraries:
Rachel Davis, Liaison Librarian at the UTSA Libraries, and Jeff Uribe-Lacy, Liaison Librarian at the Health Science Center Libraries, are working collaboratively to develop online training materials for the Overton Index that will include online guides, videos, and training workshops. The trainings will be available beginning in August 2026.
For more information on the Overton Index, please contact the liaison librarian for your school on either the UTSA or UT Health Science Center campus.