Impact of Author Affiliation on Journal Citations
Author Information
Author(s): Meneghini Rogerio, Packer Abel L., Nassi-Calò Lilian
Primary Institution: BIREME-PAHO–WHO, Latin-American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information, São Paulo, Brazil
Hypothesis
The country affiliation of authors from developing Latin American countries affects the impact factor of a journal detrimentally.
Conclusion
The study shows a significantly lower impact factor for non-collaborative articles from Latin American countries compared to the overall impact factor of the journals.
Supporting Evidence
- Articles from developed countries had impact factors close to the overall impact factor of the journals.
- Non-collaborative articles from Latin America averaged 66% of the overall impact factor of the journals.
- Collaborative articles from Latin America raised the impact factors significantly.
Takeaway
This study found that articles from Latin American countries get cited less often than those from developed countries, which might be unfair.
Methodology
The study analyzed the impact factors of articles from Latin American and developed countries published in seven prestigious journals.
Potential Biases
There may be a psycho-social trend towards under-citation of articles from Latin American countries.
Limitations
The study does not determine whether the lower impact factors are due to the quality of the articles or social-psychological biases.
Participant Demographics
Authors from four Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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