Library Help: Office For Open Research

What is Citation Count?

Citation count refers to the total number of times a publication has been cited by other scholarly articles. It is one of the most common and widely used metrics when attempting to assess the influence of a research paper within the academic community. Traditionally, a high number of citations has been seen as indicating that a publication has had a significant impact within its field. However, it should be remembered that a high citation count alone offers no guarantees relating to the quality of a piece of research.

Where and why is citation count useful?

Citation counts can be useful for several purposes, including:

• Demonstrating research impact: A high citation count typically indicates that a research paper has had significant academic influence, as significant numbers of researchers have referenced it in their own work. As such it can be used to demonstrate the relevance and contribution of a piece of research.

• Identifying your key contributions: Citation counts can help you to identify which of your papers have had the most influence in their field, aiding in the development your impact narratives and the selection of key publications to highlight on your CV or research profiles.

• Benchmarking: Citation counts can also allow you to compare your work with that of peers, institutions, or across specific disciplines, helping to contextualise your research within the broader academic landscape. Caution must always be exercised when undertaking any form of comparison (as outlined below).

When and why to be cautious with citation counts

While citation count is a valuable metric, there are many reasons why this data should never be relied upon in isolation:

• Not a complete measure of impact: Citation count is an indicator of academic visibility and influence but does not reflect the full breadth of impact. For example, it does not account for societal impact, policy influence, or non-academic contributions (e.g., media coverage, public outreach).

• Citation Bias: Certain fields, particularly those with a high volume of publications (e.g., life sciences, medicine), tend to have higher citation counts overall. This can create biases when comparing citation counts across disciplines. Additionally, newer research may have lower citation counts simply because it has not had enough time to accumulate citations.

• Responsible Metrics: Using citation count as the sole metric for evaluating research productivity or quality is never recommended. The concept of responsible metrics encourages a broader approach that includes qualitative factors and diverse indicators, such as collaboration, diversity, and the broader impacts of research beyond academia.

• Manipulation or citation cartels: There are concerns that citation counts can be manipulated through unethical practices, such as "citation cartels," where groups of researchers agree to excessively cite one another's work to inflate citation metrics.

• Self-Citation: An excessive number of self-citations can artificially inflate citation counts. While some self-citations are legitimate, relying too heavily on self-citation can skew the perception of a researcher's influence.

• Platform Variability: Citation counts can vary between platforms, depending on the databases and sources they index. Each platform has its own coverage and may not include all publications or citations, leading to discrepancies in the citation data provided.

Platforms that provide citation counts

Several databases and platforms provide citation counts, but it is important to understand that the citation numbers may differ between them due to differences in coverage, indexing, and citation practices. The following platforms are ideal for quickly gathering data related to the citations received by your work(s):

1. Scopus

   • Scopus provides detailed author profiles that include citation counts, and citation trends. It also allows you to track your outputs and see citation data from a global perspective.

2. Web of Science (WoS)

   • WoS offers an Author Impact Profile, including citation counts, h-index, and other performance indicators such as citation history and influence per article.
3. Scite

• Scite uses AI and deep learning models to provide you with additional context around your citations (such as which sections of your work have been directly quoted and/or results / conclusions supported by subsequent research.
• Scite allows you to create a personal dashboard (after creating an account). This will allow you to view all of your publications in one place, together with the enhanced metrics from Scite (such as the number, and details of any supporting citations your work has recieved)  

Why citation counts vary between platforms

The citation count for a specific publication may differ between platforms for several reasons:

• Database Coverage: Each platform indexes different sets of journals and conference proceedings. For instance, Scopus and WoS might have overlapping but not identical content, which can result in slightly different citation counts for the same publication.

• Time Lag: Citation counts can vary depending on how frequently the platform updates its records. Some platforms may update citation counts in real-time, while others may take longer to index new citations.

• Source Type: Some platforms (e.g., Scopus and WoS) primarily focus on peer-reviewed literature, while others (e.g., Scite) may also index grey literature, patents, and other non-traditional sources that could result in different citation counts.

How to find citation metrics for a specific paper in Scopus

To find the citation metrics for a specific paper in Scopus, follow these steps:

1. Search for the Paper:

   • Access Scopus via the link available through Library search 
   • In the search bar, enter the title of the paper, DOI, or other identifying information (such as the author's name or keywords).

2. Select the Correct Paper:

   • From the search results, click on the title of the paper to view the detailed record.

3. View Citation Information:

   • On the paper’s record page, you will see the Cited by count on the top right of the page. This shows the number of times the paper has been cited by other articles indexed in Scopus.

4. Citation Overview:

   • You can also view additional citation metrics such as citation trends over time, and details of other papers that have cited the article.

5. Export Data:

   • If needed, Scopus allows you to export citation data in various formats for further analysis or inclusion in reports.