Citation success early in career more likely in scientists from less developed nations, working in AI, environment: Study

New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI) An analysis of scientists who became top-cited research authors early in their careers has revealed patterns -- they tend to be affiliated to institutions in less developed countries, including China and India, and working in areas, such as artificial intelligence and environmental sciences.

Becoming a top-cited author within the first five years of scientific career -- or being an "ultra-precocious" scientist -- could also be related with high rates of self-citation, the analysis published in the journal PLOS One found.

Citing a previously published research -- which is a way of acknowledging and crediting its authors -- in a new paper adds credence. Citations are critical for academic integrity.

Achieving a high citation impact can happen for some scientists whose work and talent is quickly recognised. For others, however, the same can be achieved through fraudulent means, including manipulating data and repeatedly citing own work (self-citation).

Researcher John P. A. Ioannidis from the US' Stanford University categorised 'precocious scientists' as researchers achieving exceptional success in citations within the first eight years of their career, and 'ultra-precocious' as those accomplishing similar feats within the first five years.

Ioannidis said, "Precocious authors seem to be a mixture of some of the very best, outstanding scientists and some of the very worst, manipulative ones." Analysing data on scientists counted among the top-100,000 cited authors across 174 scientific fields, the researcher found that between 2017 and 2023, scientists with precocious and ultra-precocious citation impact increased in number.

The author found "469 precocious and 66 ultra-precocious citation impact author profiles in 2023".

Looking closely at 59 of the ultra-precocious scientists, Ioannidis found they were "were heavily enriched in affiliations from less developed countries, as compared with the list of all top-cited authors where highly developed countries, led prominently by the US, had the lion's share." "Affiliations in China and India were heavily enriched among authors with ultra-precocious citation impact as compared with the full list of top-cited authors," the author wrote.

Institutes in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Russia and Pakistan were among the others that the study mentioned.

Further, ultra-precocious scientists were found to heavily cluster across four scientific fields of research -- environmental sciences, energy, artificial intelligence and image processing, and mechanical engineering and transports.

"These four subfields accounted for 38/59 (64 per cent) of the scientists with ultra-precocious citation impact versus only 9.5 per cent among the full list of all top-cited scientists," Ioannidis said.

Ultra-precocious scientists also showed higher levels of self-citation and were found to be top-cited only if those self-citations were considered.

Many also had had papers retracted, but usually long after they had achieved top-cited status, the researcher said.

Data for the analysis was taken from the 'Scopus' citation database managed by Elsevier, an academic publisher and a disseminator of scientific, technical and medical information.

Earlier this week, an analysis of scientific literature, retracted papers and editorial records revealed a systematic fraud in scientific publishing. Organised networks involved in fabricated research and paid citations are growing faster than legitimate science, thereby undermining the integrity of science, authors from the US' Northwestern University said in the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. PTI KRS (please also select TAR before running the story) KRS KRS