Bibliometric analysis of manuscript characteristics that influence citations: A comparison of ten major dermatology journals

• Published in: Burns 2020-11, Vol.46 (7), p.1686-1692
• Main Authors: Kim, H.S.J., Wahid, M., Choi, C., Das, P., Jung, S., Khosa, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bibliometrics; Burns; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dermatology; Humans; Periodicals as Topic
• ISSN: 0305-4179; 1879-1409
• DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2020.05.002

•Authors may improve citations of their articles by adjusting certain characteristics.•The number of citations of articles were positively affected by the length of an article, its origin of country, and study design.•The number of citations were lower in articles with an increasing number of references, and if they had a structured abstract. The number of citations an article receives is a reassuring marker for its influence in the academic world. We aimed to discover characteristics of dermatology articles that may impact their citation. This cross-sectional study collected and analyzed articles published between January and June 2013 from ten highest impact dermatology journals. The study included manuscript characteristics i.e. the length of an article, the presence of visual aids, accessibility, originality, and clarity. Citation analysis statistics required multiple tools such as linear regression, point-biserial correlation, Spearman's rank-order correlation, and Kruskal–Wallis to determine the association between these study variables and the number of citations of articles. Of 748 articles included in our study, the number of citations ranged from 0 to 814 (median: 18), with weak positive correlations to the length of manuscript (word count: rs 0.3, p