A new service designed to allow readers and researchers to comment on the appropriateness, quality, and type of citations made in the literature made its debut at the HighWire Press Publishers Meeting yesterday.
2. CONFIDENTIAL
Quantity vs. Quality
More citations across the literature
2.6% inflation rate
More references per paper
From 8.4 in 1970 to 34.63 in 2005, and growing
Less monitoring of the quality of citations
Quality is multidimensional
No network tool across citations
Impact factor remains a blunt instrument in the
networked era
3. CONFIDENTIAL
Untapped Potential
Citations point to evidence, bolster arguments
Citation lists represent a firm intellectual footprint
left by the researchers
Citations can influence reader behavior
Rhetorical power can be significant
Citations are now linkable in the network age
ORCID, CrossRef, and other tools make it possible
to reconcile citations to authors, journals, and
papers
4. CONFIDENTIAL
Judging Citation Quality
Does the citation exist?
Does the context of the citation match the
conclusions of the cited work?
Is the cited work itself of high quality?
Is the citation itself an act of criticism of the cited
work?
Does the cited work actually provide evidence
itself? Or is it just a middleman, and therefore
needs to be viewed differently?
7. CONFIDENTIAL
Two Clicks = Lots of Data
Citing Journal: Journal of Proximal Research
Lewiecki EM, Miller PD, McClung MR, et al. Two-year treatment with denosumab (AMG 162)
in a randomized phase 2 study of postmenopausal women with low BMD. J Distal Research
2007;22:1832-1841. [CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
SocialCite:
Appropriate Citation? Yes No
Strong Evidence? Yes No
Citing Journal
Authors
Appropriate Citation
Cited Journal
Authors
High-Quality Material
8. CONFIDENTIAL
Data May Indicate . . .
J Proximal Res publishes research that cites highquality material
The J Distal Res publishes high-quality material
J Proximal Res cites this paper appropriately
This J Distal Res paper is cited appropriately
Author “JPR-1” cites high-quality material
Author “JDR-1” publishes high-quality material
Author “JPR-1” cites appropriately
9. CONFIDENTIAL
Citing Journal: Journal of Proximal Research
Lewiecki EM, Miller PD, McClung MR, et al. Two-year treatment with denosumab (AMG 162)
in a randomized phase 2 study of postmenopausal women with low BMD. J Distal Research
2007;22:1832-1841. [CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
SocialCite: Appropriate Citation? Yes No
Strong Evidence? Yes No
Add More
Critiques Cited Work
Cites Evidence
Cites Assertions
Cites Methods
Cites Authority
10. CONFIDENTIAL
Data May Indicate . . .
The J Distal Res paper is a methods paper
Possibly more useful, weight citation accordingly
This citation in J Proximal Res is critical of the paper being
cited
Not captured by current impact factor
This J Distal Res paper is being cited by its author
Self-citation may limit its value or legitimacy
Author “JPR-1” self-cites
J Proximal Res contains one critical citation
J Distal Res paper is being criticized
11. CONFIDENTIAL
Inferring Journal Practices
Does the journal cite higher-quality information
than average?
Are the citations more appropriate than average?
Does the journal contain more critical citations
than average?
Does the journal contain more citations to review
articles than average?
Does the journal contain more citations to
methods than average?
12. CONFIDENTIAL
Inferring Author Practices
Does the author typically cite high-quality
information?
Does the author cite appropriately?
Does the author produce more critical citations
than average?
Are the author’s articles themselves viewed as
high-quality citable sources?
Are the author’s articles themselves cited
appropriately more often than average?
18. CONFIDENTIAL
Incentivizing Usage of SocialCite
Testing with researchers and editors showed that
citations are part of the normal intellectual
workflow, and that citations are being evaluated
continually and within context
Providing a way to quickly express their judgment
of citations was very enticing to these intellectuals
Providing a personal citation dashboard with
preliminary citation and journal quality data, in
real-time, would also incentivize usage
19. CONFIDENTIAL
Preventing “Gaming” of Data
Individual dashboard for users reduces likelihood
of “gaming” the data
Tying individual usage to individual benefit makes
password sharing less likely
Also makes it easier to identify fraudulent accounts
Occasional user identity challenges are built into
the system
Designed to build trust without breaking flow
First dashboard coming soon!
20. CONFIDENTIAL
Network Effect Is Critical
Each journal, author, citation needs data points
from multiple appearances in multiple settings
Aggregated and analyzed data should allow for
inferences and reporting
Possibility for editorial pre-flight reviewing tools
as well
Free install and free usage by individuals both
keys to driving data collection and long-term value
21. CONFIDENTIAL
Business Model
Publishers – Participation is free, paid access to
reports and reporting tools
Platforms – Free inclusion of the code and free access
to customization toolbox
Individuals – Free access to a personal dashboard,
paid access to reports and deeper reporting tools
Organizations and institutions – Paid access to
reports and reporting tools
Editorial systems – Small fee per journal for
utilization of data via APIs
22. CONFIDENTIAL
Next Steps
Create registration system and dashboard for
individuals
Identify charter platform and publishers
Begin gathering and analyzing data
Publish any interesting findings
Begin integration with manuscript processing
systems
Generate metrics and reports
23. CONFIDENTIAL
Current Status
Technology being evaluated at HighWire Press
Potential publishing partners being approached
Possible launch in 2014
Interested in adding SocialCite?
Contact SocialCite at socialcite@verizon.net
Follow us @socialcite on Twitter
Review the value proposition at social-cite.org