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In academic publishing, understanding both authorship roles and citation metrics is crucial for recognizing researchers' contributions and evaluating the impact of their work. Authorship roles determine credit and accountability for research contributions, reflecting the varying levels of involvement in a study. Citations, on the other hand, assess the influence and significance of an author's scholarly work by measuring how often their publications are cited by other academic papers, thereby indicating their impact within their field. 5 Mar 2025 [2 min read] |
Key Authorship Roles
First Author: Typically the primary contributor, responsible for conducting experiments, analyzing data, and drafting the manuscript. This role holds significant value in academic careers.
Last Author: Often the senior researcher or principal investigator, overseeing the project, providing mentorship, securing funding, and guiding research direction. This role carries prestige comparable to that of the first author in many disciplines.
Corresponding Author: Manages communication with the journal during submission and peer review, serving as the main contact post-publication. This role may not necessarily be held by the first or last author.
Co-Authors: Contribute significantly but to a lesser extent than the first and last authors. Their roles may include data collection or specialized analysis, and they are listed according to their level of contribution.
Citation Metrics
Total Citations: Reflects the overall number of times a paper has been cited, indicating its influence.
Excluding Self-Citations from the Selected Author: Removes citations from the selected author's own publications to assess impact based solely on external citations.
Excluding Self-Citations from All Authors: Removes citations from all authors involved, providing a nuanced view of a publication's influence and eliminating potential biases from internal referencing within research groups.
Citation counts can vary across databases due to differences in source inclusion. For example, Google Scholar often reports higher counts due to its broader web source coverage. Factors like publication age, discipline, and topic controversy also influence citation rates. To refine citation analysis, visit the Library's User Guide for instructions on removing self-citations in Scopus and Web of Science. Alternatively, you could consider using normalised citation metrics, such as Field-Weighted Citation Impact.
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