How far can researchers manipulate citations (for example, through citation rings)?
The expert advice is that the scope for this in practice is limited, particularly on the scale that would be required to affect results at the broad subject level. Research that is excellent in terms of citation impact is cited by dozens if not hundreds of different institutions internationally. Also, reputable peer reviewed research journals employ sound procedures for quality assuring the material they publish. Nevertheless, we will consider further: • how we can monitor potential changes in citation behaviour over time • whether there should be some mechanism for reporting ‘suspicious’ citation behaviour • whether the expert panels can play some role in addressing this concern.
The expert advice is that the scope for this in practice is limited, particularly on the scale that would be required to affect results at the broad subject level. Research that is excellent in terms of citation impact is cited by dozens if not hundreds of different institutions internationally. Also, reputable peer reviewed research journals employ sound procedures for quality assuring the material they publish. Nevertheless, we will consider further: • how we can monitor potential changes in citation behaviour over time • whether there should be some mechanism for reporting ‘suspicious’ citation behaviour • whether the expert panels can play some role in addressing this concern.
