THE S IGNS OF SC IENCE

Since the Science Citation Index emerged within the system of scientific ommunication in 1964, an intense controversy about its character has been raging: in what sense can citation analysis be trusted? This debate can be characterized as the confrontation f different perspectives onscience. In this paper the citation representation of science isdiscussed: the way the citation creates anew reality of as well as in the world of science; the main features of this reality; and some implications for science and science policy. An objective representation of science The Science Citation Index I is not merely a bibliographic nstrument. Above all, it Creates a new picture of science via the references in the scientific literature. As the Terminology & Definitions ection of the SCI explains: The Citation Index is an alphabetic list of references given in bibliographies and footnotes of source articles arranged by first author. Each reference is followed by brief descriptions (citations) of the source articles which cite it. In this way, the SCI provides a fundamentally new representation f science. There have been similar devices before. However, these were confined to certain disciplines; the SCI is the first citation index aimed at the scientific literature as a whole. It creates an image of this literature like a telephone book creates one of the inhabitants of a city. Representing means'both "speaking or acting on behalf of ' and "being able to stand in for". Every representation is the product of both the phenomenon it represents and it