Phil Davis is a publishing consultant specializing in the statistical analysis of citation, readership, publication and survey data. He has a Ph.D. in science communication from Cornell University (2010), extensive experience as a science librarian (1995-2006) and was trained as a life scientist. https://phil-davis.org/
TrendMD may drive traffic, saves, and citations, according to a new study by the founders and employees of TrendMD. Deeper analysis of their results reveal overstated results and a lack of context. Should these papers be considered sound science just another form of marketing?
The publisher is committed to financial sustainability. How it achieves it is an open question.
A brief review of studies linking social media and article-level performance.
PLOS’ latest financial report depicts an organization trying to reinvent itself, focusing less on disruption and innovation and more on efficiency and collaboration.
The separation of powers is as important in academic publishing as it is in government.
A public allegation of citation manipulation among 5 journals deserves a public inquiry.
The suppression of three economic history journals reveals more about Clarivate’s methods than citation manipulation.
Publisher of performance metrics suppresses 20 journals, 14 for high levels of self-citation and 6 for citation stacking, releases Editorial Expression of Concern for 5 others.
The 2018 release of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) now features citation distributions for each journal. Poor implementation may prevent these figures from being used and may actively encourage abuse by predatory publishers.
Editors are in a position of power to coerce authors to cite their journal and personal papers. Can algorithms help detect misconduct when authors and journal staff are unwilling to speak out?