Growth in the number of references in engineering journal papers during the 1972–2013 period

Iñaki Ucar, Felipe López-Fernandino, Pablo Rodriguez-Ulibarri, Laura Sesma-Sanchez, Veronica Urrea-Micó and Joaquín Sevilla ()
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Iñaki Ucar: Public University of Navarre
Felipe López-Fernandino: Public University of Navarre
Pablo Rodriguez-Ulibarri: Public University of Navarre
Laura Sesma-Sanchez: Public University of Navarre
Veronica Urrea-Micó: Public University of Navarre
Joaquín Sevilla: Public University of Navarre

Scientometrics, 2014, vol. 98, issue 3, No 17, 1855-1864

Abstract: Abstract The number of references per paper, perhaps the best single index of a journal’s scholarliness, has been studied in different disciplines and periods. In this paper we present a four decade study of eight engineering journals. A data set of over 70,000 references was generated after automatic data gathering and manual inspection for errors. Results show a significant increase in the number of references per paper, the average rises from 8 in 1972 to 25 in 2013. This growth presents an acceleration around the year 2000, consistent with a much easier access to search engines and documents produced by the generalization of the Internet.

Keywords: Number of references; Citation density; Engineering; Citing behaviour; Reference analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-013-1113-6

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