To cite or not to cite: author self-citations and the impact factor

James Hartley ()
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James Hartley: Keele University

Scientometrics, 2012, vol. 92, issue 2, No 13, 313-317

Abstract: Abstract Author self-citations are another factor that affects the impact factor of a journal. Typically these self-citations are just counted as such. But to be more meaningful I suggest that when examining the contribution of authors’ self-citations to impact factors one should first count the number of citations in the text rather than in the reference list, and then discriminate between different kinds of author self-citations—from those that are informative to those that are self-enhancing—if these data are to be more credible.

Keywords: Co-authors; Impact factors; Reference lists; Author self-citation; Journal self-citation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-011-0568-6

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