In September 2022, I took a “Good Citation Behaviour” course by Clarivate (Web of Science) aimed at early career researchers. There was a topic on citation manipulation and its implications in research. I wanted to share some key takeaways from the course, which I believe are valuable to fellow researchers and anyone who appreciates the importance of accurate and ethical information dissemination. 💡 I found this course immensely beneficial, shedding light on the importance of proper referencing and the risks of citation manipulation in the academic community. I encourage Ph.D. students and early career researchers to take this course to learn more about citation manipulation and how to prevent it.

1. Citation
Manipulation
Sarasadat Makian
A Guide for PhD students and Early Career Researchers

2. Citation manipulation refers to a type of
scientific misconduct observed in the realm
of academic publishing.
It involves the deliberate manipulation of
references with the intention of promoting
the interests of individuals, papers,
institutions, or journals, rather than serving
the purpose of supporting the scholarly
work at hand.
The situation takes place across multiple
tiers, encompassing authors, reviewers,
editors, and even scientific journals.
Sarasadat Makian

3. Author Self-citation: Excessive self-
referencing can inflate author citation
metrics and distort the true
contributions of a paper.
Honorary Citation: Referencing
someone else's work for the sake of
gaining their approval rather than its
scholarly merit.
Author Level (1):
Sarasadat Makian

4. Editorial Coercion: Pressure from the
editorial team to cite specific works,
compromising the integrity of the
reference list.
False Support: Citing references that do
not truly support the author's
statements or claims.
Author Level (2):
Sarasadat Makian

5. Peer Review Self-citation: When
reviewers pressure authors to reference
their own work, potentially
compromising the quality of citations in
the paper.
Peer Reviewer Level:
Sarasadat Makian

6. Journal Self-citation: Editors coercing
authors to cite papers from their journal
to boost citation counts or the Journal
Impact Factor.
Strategic Non-citations: Editors
influencing authors to remove
references from competitor journals.
Editor Level:
Sarasadat Makian

7. Citation Stacking: Coordinated efforts
within the editorial team to boost
Impact Factors by citing other journals'
work with the intention of improving
their own metrics.
Journal Level:
Sarasadat Makian