Citation database

A citation database (English Citation Index ) is a database that contains citations (information about which publications are cited by which). Citation databases are used for literature research and for citation analyzes. Citation databases are often part of bibliographic databases or 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 . A competing product was Scirus . CiteSeer and Google Scholar are freely accessible citation databases.

The patent system also uses citation databases. Patent information is freely available through numerous databases. Among other things, all patents can be queried via the Derwent Patent Citation Index (DPCI).

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

literature

• Christoph Neuhaus, Hans-Dieter Daniel: Data sources for performing citation analysis: an overview. In: Journal of Documentation. Volume 64, No. 2, 2008, ISSN  0022-0418 , pp. 193-210, doi: 10.1108 / 00220410810858010 .