How Much of the Literature Goes Uncited?
Making sense of non-events (citation, circulation, and publication) requires context and a tolerance for uncertainty.
Universal Citation Paper Lacks Universality
A bold claim that citation impact is comparable across fields is disputed by researchers who question why uncited papers were excluded from the analysis.
Can Article Retractions Correct the Scientific Record?
A new study of article retractions concludes that the system is fast, democratic and significantly depresses future citations. Shouldn’t we demand more?
Can We Measure the Value of Professional Editors?
eLife asserts that professional editors create more harm than good. But how do we know that? How can we know that? Or is this just an emotional argument based on anecdote and conjecture rather than fact?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Clay Shirky? Or, Silicon Valley Discovers Impact Factor
Boiling down the social Web to create a measure of influence? Not as easy as it looks.
Openness and Secrecy in Science — A Careful Balance
If openness is an ideological tenant of science, why are scientists so secretive?
When the Love of Books Doesn’t Increase Sales or Citations
Free online books may increase discovery, but may not translate into increased sales or citations, a new study reports.
Post-Publication Review: Does It Add Anything New and Useful?
Post-publication review is spotty, unreliable, and may suffer from cronyism, several studies reveal.
Impact Factor Inflation: When an Increase is Actually a Decrease
Journals that fail to keep up with background Impact Factor inflation may actually be losing ground.
Impact Factors — A Self-fulfilling Prophecy?
A new study analyzing the citation performance of identical articles in multiple sources provides new insight into the causes of citation. But does it accomplish its goals?
Does a Citation Advantage Exist for Mandated Open Access Articles?
A new article suggests that institutional self-archiving mandates may benefit authors . . . if you ignore some inconsistent and inconvenient results.
Do Medical Editors Discriminate Against Poor Authors?
Do medical editors have different quality standards based on the author’s geographic location?
Does Reviewing Your Peers Create Better Results Than Peer-Review?
National Academy of Sciences members contribute the very best (and very worst) articles in PNAS, a recent analysis suggests. Is diversity a better indicator of success than consistency in science publishing?
No Journal Access? Email the Author, Colleague
Peer-to-peer sharing of scientific articles is common for Indian scientists, a new study reports.
Naughty Twins and the Impact of Journals
Unethical republication has created a unique opportunity to study the effect of journals on article citations.