Succinct effect or informative effect: the relationship between title length and the number of citations

Feng Guo (), Chao Ma (), Qingling Shi () and Qingqing Zong ()
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Feng Guo: Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
Chao Ma: Southeast University
Qingling Shi: East China Normal University
Qingqing Zong: Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

Scientometrics, 2018, vol. 116, issue 3, No 7, 1539 pages

Abstract: Abstract Previous studies produced mixed results with respect to the correlation between title length and number of citations. This research aims to provide a new explanation for this controversy by examining one of the largest pools of papers to date, containing over 300,000 economics papers spanning a much longer time period (1956–2012). The results show that correlation between title length and the number of citations is negative between 1956 and 2000, but becomes positive after 2000, when online searches became the predominant method for literature retrieval. Moreover, heterogeneity analyses show that longer titles are especially crucial for papers with relatively lower influence, which researchers can typically only access using online searches.

Keywords: Citation; Title; Search; Scholarly impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A2 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (28)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-018-2805-8

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