Chemistry

Here is what a typical patent citation from SciFinder-n looks like:

Delivery device for dispensing pharmaceutical dosage forms into dissolution testing apparatus 
By Gilbert, Daryl; Hughes, Lyn; Wright, Donald Frederick
From Eur. Pat. Appl. (2012), EP 2402748 A1 20120104. 

Note the Appl. date for when the patent was applied for. This is a clue that it is a patent.

It will not look like a journal citation: no volume or page numbers.

Often patents applications are filed with more than one country. This one is for the European Patent Office and has its application number.

You should have the patent application number. The prefix will give you a hint whether it is a US or foreign patent:

• US 4215514   United States
• WO2008029163   World Patent Office
• EP 1902706   European Patent
• CA2559222   Canada
• JP 2007289009   Japan

If you don't find the patent by a number search, try the author's last name or a word from the title.