The effects of citation-based research evaluation schemes on self-citation behavior. Issue 4 (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Abramo, Giovanni; D'Angelo, Ciriaco Andrea; Grilli, Leonardo
• Is Part Of: Journal of informetrics. Volume 15:Issue 4(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: Incentive scheme -- Strategic behavior -- Citation gaming -- Bibliometrics -- Academic appointments -- Italy; Library statistics -- Periodicals; Information science -- Statistical methods -- Periodicals; Bibliometrics -- Periodicals; Bibliothèques -- Statistiques -- Périodiques; Sciences de l'information -- Méthodes statistiques -- Périodiques; Bibliométrie -- Périodiques; 020.727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.joi.2021.101204
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-1577

Abstract

Highlights: We observe the self-citation behavior of over 15, 000 professors. We control for number of citable papers, (international) co-authors, specialization. Following citation-based incentives, self-citations per paper increased by 9.5%. Increment is common, with diverse magnitude, to all disciplines and academic ranks. Over 41% of professors have not increased their self-citation rates. Abstract: We investigate the changes in the self-citation behavior of Italian professors following the introduction of a citation-based incentive scheme, for national accreditation to academic appointments. Previous contributions on self-citation behavior have either focused on small samples or relied on simple models, not controlling for enough confounding factors. The present work adopts a complex statistics model implemented on bibliometric individual data for over 15, 000 Italian professors. Controlling for a number of covariates (number of citable papers published by the author; presence of international authors; number of co-authors; degree of the professor's specialization), the average increase in the number of self-citations per paper following introduction of the national scientific accreditation (ASN) is of 9.5%. The increase is common to all disciplines and academic ranks, albeit with diverse magnitude. Moreover, the increase is sensitive to the relative incentive, depending on the status of the scholar with respect to the ASN. A further analysis shows that there is much heterogeneity in the individual patterns of self-citing behavior, albeit with very few outliers.