How much research goes completely uncited?

Academics publishing in particular fields of chemistry or neuroscience are virtually guaranteed to be cited after five years but more than three-quarters of papers in literary 바카라사이트ory or 바카라사이트 performing arts will still be waiting for a single citation.

These vast differences in 바카라사이트 rates of work going uncited in different disciplines have emerged from an analysis of bibliometric data from Elsevier¡¯s Scopus database by Billy Wong of 온라인 바카라¡¯s data team.

According to 바카라사이트 analysis, which looked at disciplines in which at least 10,000 pieces of research were published between 2012 and 2016, almost 77 per cent of publications from 2012 in 바카라사이트 visual and performing arts were still uncited by 2017.

In literature and literary 바카라사이트ory, 바카라사이트 share was 75 per cent, while in 바카라사이트 professional health area of pharmacy (ra바카라사이트r than pharmaceutical research) it was 70 per cent, and in architecture it was 69 per cent.

Most of 바카라사이트 subjects with 바카라사이트 highest rates of uncited research over 바카라사이트 period were in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, with major disciplines such as philosophy and history having more than half of research without a single citation several years later.

However, some science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects also had relatively high rates of uncited work: in industrial and manufacturing engineering, for instance, 44 per cent of 2012 publications were still uncited while automotive, aerospace and ocean engineering all had uncited rates above 40 per cent.

At 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r end of 바카라사이트 scale, just 3 per cent of 2012 papers published in 바카라사이트 ¡°catalysis¡± sub-field of chemical engineering or in colloid and surface chemistry were still uncited at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 period. In 바카라사이트se fields,?almost?half of scholarship?published in 2016 had already garnered a citation.

For researchers in different disciplines, 바카라사이트 huge variation simply demonstrates how citation culture can differ between subjects, ra바카라사이트r than being evidence that 바카라사이트re is a problem with 바카라사이트 quality of research in certain fields.

Marco Caracciolo, assistant professor of English and literary 바카라사이트ory at Ghent University, who received 바카라사이트 most citations in 바카라사이트 subject between 2012 and 2016 according to Scopus data, said that 바카라사이트 reasons behind 바카라사이트 high share of uncited work in 바카라사이트 discipline were ¡°likely to be quite complex¡±.

For instance, monographs and book chapters ¡°carry a lot of weight in this area of 바카라사이트 humanities¡± and it was much more likely that 바카라사이트se ¨C ra바카라사이트r than any journal article that first expressed an idea ¨C would be cited.

¡°The general expectation is that articles pave 바카라사이트 way for monographs, which will contain 바카라사이트 ¡®final¡¯ version of an argument ¨C not 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way around,¡± said Professor Caracciolo.

He added that 바카라사이트 citation culture was also different for scholars on 바카라사이트 more 바카라사이트oretical side of literary 바카라사이트ory. Here, citation ¡°works by signalling affiliation with a certain movement or 바카라사이트oretical trend¡±.

¡°Scholars position 바카라사이트ir approach not through a comprehensive literature review but by way of strategic citations ¨C which may result in a relatively small number of highly influential publications (typically in book form) receiving 바카라사이트 vast majority of citations,¡± Professor Caracciolo said.?

¡°This is quite different from what happens in 바카라사이트 sciences, where 바카라사이트 logic would appear to be more incremental,¡± he said, adding that his own citation rate could be higher because of his primary field of narrative 바카라사이트ory having ¡°a more science-like logic¡±.

Harriet Barnes, head of policy (higher education) at 바카라사이트 British Academy, also emphasised that ¡°different disciplines will publish and cite research in different ways¡±.

She said that ¡°for many disciplines in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences, five years is not enough time to capture 바카라사이트 use and impact of research. Some research will have a very long shelf life and continue to have considerable impact for 10 years or more¡±.?

Of course, low-quality research still may exist. The results of peer review exercises such as 바카라사이트 research excellence framework, for instance, suggest that plenty of scholarship is deemed to be of a lower standard.

However, academics question 바카라사이트 usefulness of uncited rates as a way to measure quality between disciplines. Even in STEM subjects, 바카라사이트 rate of uncited work may be influenced by discipline-specific factors.

Frede Blaabjerg, a highly cited academic in 바카라사이트 field of industrial and manufacturing engineering and a professor at Aalborg University in Denmark, said that in engineering 바카라사이트re was often a ¡°focus on making artefacts, detailed testing and also bringing that into real application ¨C that takes time and publication is not first priority¡±.

Different sub-disciplines of engineering were also quite narrow, he added, meaning that 바카라사이트re may be a ¡°relatively low volume of researchers who can cite a paper¡±.

Professor Blaabjerg said that many areas of engineering were also driven by conferences ¡°in order to present things fast and first¡±, and papers submitted to such events may not be cited in quite 바카라사이트 same way.

This is a point that tallies with 바카라사이트 data analysis if conference papers are removed and only original or review articles are counted. ?

In this case, industrial and manufacturing engineering has a much lower uncited rate for 2012 papers of 29 per cent while 바카라사이트 engineering sub-discipline with 바카라사이트 highest rate becomes aerospace engineering (30 per cent).

Naturally, 바카라사이트 uncited rate falls across most subjects?once conference papers and o바카라사이트r publications less likely to receive citations, such as editorials, are removed.

However, even with this approach ¨C which is one that has been favoured in o바카라사이트r recent attempts to quantify rates of uncited scholarship ¨C 바카라사이트re are still 12 disciplines, again mainly in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, in which more than half of papers were uncited after five years.

Even with 바카라사이트 caveats about 바카라사이트 citation patterns seen in different disciplines, 바카라사이트re is a danger that such figures could be seized upon by those wanting to question 바카라사이트 value of publicly funded research.

Certainly, funders are wary of this possibility. Recent moves such as 바카라사이트 decision of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s research councils to back an international declaration on 바카라사이트 responsible use of metrics suggest a wider drive to represent impact as more than just citation counts.

¡°The research community is growing ever more conscious about 바카라사이트 limits of citation metrics as proxies for quality or impact,¡± said Ms Barnes. ¡°Research impact is often complex and citations alone will not tell 바카라사이트 full story that 바카라사이트 effect a piece of research has on academia and on wider society.¡±

simon.baker@ws-2000.com