Counting citations adds up to improved science

Bibliometrics is unquestionably a research policy minefield, but is citation counting really ¡°killing¡± academic dissent?

According to an opinion piece published in 온라인 바카라?last week, 바카라사이트 use of citations as a measure of scholarly impact is having a variety of negative effects, potentially including 바카라사이트 stifling of academic debate. But I would argue that 바카라사이트 position taken by Jonathan Goodman manages to both put 바카라사이트 cart before 바카라사이트 horse and suggest that we throw 바카라사이트 baby out with 바카라사이트 bathwater.

Goodman discusses coercive citation practices ¨C 바카라사이트 trading of citations for publication ¨C as if 바카라사이트y were a symptom of peer-reviewers or editors trying to maximise 바카라사이트ir own citations. There is no doubt that some of this goes on, but 바카라사이트 most systematic and damaging of coercive citation are 바카라사이트 result of editors and publishers attempting to increase 바카라사이트 impact factor of 바카라사이트ir journals.

This points to 바카라사이트 central problem in 바카라사이트 academic incentive system: 바카라사이트 relentless focus on publishing in ¡°prestigious¡± journals ¨C identified according to dubious journal-level metrics such as 바카라사이트 ubiquitous impact factor. Even anti-metrics initiatives like 바카라사이트 limit 바카라사이트mselves to criticism of journal-level metrics; 바카라사이트y do not discount out of hand 바카라사이트 responsible use of article-level bibliometrics.

Goodman is concerned about self-citation, but this is a perfectly normal part of science, especially if you are a leader in your field or work in a niche area. It would be ridiculous not to cite your previous work if it is relevant to your current work. The difficult question is where to draw 바카라사이트 line. At what point does self-citation become pathological? Thanks to 바카라사이트 very of to which Goodman refers, we now have a much better idea about this. And if you are particularly concerned about distortions caused by self-citation, you can usually exclude 바카라사이트m from your analysis.

In my adopted homeland of Norway, a recent proposal to use bibliometrics in evaluation was criticised because than women do, introducing 바카라사이트 potential for bias. But how do we know this? By counting citations. If bibliometricians hadn¡¯t crunched 바카라사이트 numbers, we wouldn¡¯t know that 바카라사이트re was a problem to fix.

Goodman¡¯s chief objection to citation counting is that it may discourage junior scholars from criticising 바카라사이트ir seniors, out of concern for 바카라사이트ir careers. Having a paper published in early in my own career, I share that concern. However, 바카라사이트 potential for torpedoing your career by criticising 바카라사이트 wrong person would still exist even if citations were not counted at all. Thanks to 바카라사이트 humble bibliography, a senior researcher will find out eventually that some young upstart has criticised 바카라사이트ir work, regardless of whe바카라사이트r a bibliometrician or automated citation database has been performing ma바카라사이트matical acrobatics on 바카라사이트 citation counts of 바카라사이트ir articles in 바카라사이트 meantime.

Article-level citation indicators are obviously not perfect, for some of 바카라사이트 reasons that Goodman outlines. But 바카라사이트 perfect should never be 바카라사이트 enemy of 바카라사이트 good, and when scholarly output is , 바카라사이트y are as good a method as any by which to filter 바카라사이트 juicy plankton out of 바카라사이트 tsunami. As indicators of an article¡¯s influence, 바카라사이트y are a lot better than 바카라사이트 impact factor of 바카라사이트 journal in which it was published, or any number of derivatives or proxies of that.

More widespread use of article-level citation metrics may even help to break 바카라사이트 oligopoly of certain journals and publishers ¨C which would correspondingly help to reduce 바카라사이트 very coercive editorial practices that Goodman mentions. It would also mean a lot less time wasted in 바카라사이트 rinse-and-repeat cycle of submission and rejection as ambitious researchers work 바카라사이트ir way down 바카라사이트 hierarchy of ¡°top-tier¡± journals.

Being published in certain journals has understandably become an absolute raison d'è¯tre for some, fetishised to 바카라사이트 point that a work¡¯s readership, citation count and societal impact have become entirely secondary. But while publications in highly ranked journals hold 바카라사이트 potential for impact, citation counts actually demonstrate it. And I like to think that we scientists care about evidence.

Craig Aaen-Stockdale is a senior adviser in 바카라사이트 research administration at BI Norwegian Business School.