Citation index

A citation database ( Citation Index ) is a database of citations ( information about what publications are cited which ) includes. Citation databases are used for the literature search and citation analysis. Frequently citation databases are an integral part of bibliographic databases and specialized search engines.

Probably the first, largest and best-known citation database is the Science Citation Index, which is available as part of the Web of Science are available. A competing product was Scirus. CiteSeer and Google Scholar citation databases are freely accessible.

Also, the patent system is a citation databases. Patent information is freely available through numerous databases. Among other things, make all patents on the Derwent Patent Citation Index ( DPCI ) query.

Most citation databases include a certain amount of errors, which is criticized especially when they are used to determine the impact factors and other evaluation criteria.