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Evidence-based recommendations for increasing the citation frequency of original articles

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  • Nicole Heßler

    (Universität zu Lübeck, Universitätsklinikum-Schleswig-Holstein)

  • Andreas Ziegler

    (Medizincampus Davos
    University of KwaZulu Natal
    University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf)

Abstract

Publications and citations are important for career advancement of researchers. Our main aim was to derive recommendations that might increase the citation frequency of authors’ work. We examined title and article characteristics of original research articles published in the major medical journals BMJ, JAMA, Lancet, NEJM and PLOS Med (PLOS) between 2011 and 2020, using PubMed and Web of Science. To analyze citation frequencies, we estimated quasi Poisson regression models. The NEJM had by far the shortest titles (9.7 ± 1.8 words). Titles in the other journals were at least 8 words longer on average. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were rarely identifiable by its title in the NEJM (5.3% by title, 63.3% by title plus abstract). BMJ, Lancet and PLOS articles had more frequently active verbs than JAMA and NEJM articles. The citation frequency was higher when articles were open access and when more authors and corporate authors were involved (all p

Suggested Citation

  • Nicole Heßler & Andreas Ziegler, 2022. "Evidence-based recommendations for increasing the citation frequency of original articles," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(6), pages 3367-3381, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:127:y:2022:i:6:d:10.1007_s11192-022-04378-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-022-04378-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo & Leonardo Grilli, 2024. "The role of non-scientific factors vis-à-vis the quality of publications in determining their scholarly impact," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(8), pages 5003-5019, August.
    2. Jiawei Wang, 2024. "Quantifying cohesion in high citation research article titles: a cross-disciplinary and diachronic investigation," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(9), pages 5075-5102, September.

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