Scholarly output and the impact of self-citation among surgical fellowship program directors

The purpose of this study is to define the publication patterns and the impact of self-citation among program directors of surgical fellowships. Program directors were identified through the respective fellowship accrediting council and association websites for eleven surgical subspecialties. Using...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of surgery 2020-06, Vol.219 (6), p.913-917
Main Authors: Yheulon, Christopher G., Schlussel, Andrew T., Ernat, Justin J., Cafasso, Danielle E., Carlson, Terri L., Gallagher, Margaret E., Kellicut, Dwight C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citation analysis
Citation indexes
Colorectal surgery
Councils
Critical care
Directors
Documents
Fellowship
General surgery
H-index
Hirsch index
Identification methods
Oncology
Plastic surgery
Scholarships & fellowships
Self citation
Surgeons
Surgery
Thoracic surgery
Web sites
Websites
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Summary:The purpose of this study is to define the publication patterns and the impact of self-citation among program directors of surgical fellowships. Program directors were identified through the respective fellowship accrediting council and association websites for eleven surgical subspecialties. Using the Scopus database, the number of publications, citations, self-citations, and h-indices were calculated. 781 program directors were identified. The mean number ± SD of publications, citations, and h-index for the cohort were 74.6 ± 88.2, 2141 ± 3486, and 18.8 ± 14.5, respectively. The self-citation rate for the entire cohort was 3.17%. After excluding self-citations, the h-index remained unchanged for 72% of surgeons. After propensity score matching for h-index, colorectal surgeons (1.48%, p = 0.04) had significantly lower self-citation rates. Overall, self-citation is infrequent among program directors of surgical fellowships. There is a lower rate of self-citation among colorectal surgeons when compared to program directors in other specialties with similar baseline metrics. •781 program directors were identified encompassing eleven surgical subspecialties.•The mean number of publications, citations, and h-index were 75, 2141, and 19.•The self-citation rate for the entire cohort was 3.17%.•The h-index remained unchanged for 72% of surgeons.•Colorectal surgeons had significantly lower self-citation rates.
ISSN:0002-9610
1879-1883
DOI:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.07.002