Section 1: Introduction to citation databases

Learning Outcomes

Section 1 explains the purpose of a citation database and contrasts the functionality of these with popular search engines such as Google and Google Scholar. The process of selecting the most useful database is explored. This section is written in a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ format, reflecting the type of questions most commonly asked about databases.

By the end of this section you will be able to:

• Understand the purpose of citation databases
• Select a citation database appropriate for your searching needs