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The impact of internet resources on scholarly communication: A citation analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Chuanfu Chen

    (Wuhan University)

  • Kai Sun

    (Wuhan University)

  • Gang Wu

    (Wuhan University)

  • Qiong Tang

    (Wuhan University)

  • Jian Qin

    (Syracuse University)

  • Kuei Chiu

    (University of California)

  • Yushuang Fu

    (Wuhan University)

  • Xiaofang Wang

    (Wuhan University)

  • Jing Liu

    (Wuhan University)

Abstract

The quality and credibility of Internet resources has been a concern in scholarly communication. This paper reports a quantitative analysis of the use of Internet resources in journal articles and addresses the concerns for the use of Internet resources scholarly journals articles. We collected the references listed in 35,698 articles from 14 journals published during 1996 to 2005, which resulted in 1,000,724 citations. The citation data was divided into two groups: traditional citations and Web citations, and examined based on frequencies of occurrences by domain and type of Web citation sources. The findings included: (1) The number of Web citations in the journals investigated had been increasing steadily, though the quantity was too small to draw an inclusive conclusion on the data about their impact on scientific research; (2) A great disparity existed among different disciplines in terms of using information on the Web. Applied disciplines and interdisciplinary sciences tended to cite more information on the Web, while classical and experimental disciplines cited little of Web information; (3) The frequency of citations was related to the reputation of the author or the institution issuing the information, and not to the domain or webpage types; and (4) The researchers seemed to lack confidence in Internet resources, and Web information was not as frequently cited as reported in some publications before. The paper also discusses the need for developing a guideline system to evaluate Web resources regarding their authority and quality that lies in the core of credibility of Web information.

Suggested Citation

  • Chuanfu Chen & Kai Sun & Gang Wu & Qiong Tang & Jian Qin & Kuei Chiu & Yushuang Fu & Xiaofang Wang & Jing Liu, 2009. "The impact of internet resources on scholarly communication: A citation analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 81(2), pages 459-474, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:81:y:2009:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-008-2180-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-008-2180-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Liwen Vaughan & Debora Shaw, 2005. "Web citation data for impact assessment: A comparison of four science disciplines," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 56(10), pages 1075-1087, August.
    2. Paul Wouters & Repke de Vries, 2004. "Formally citing the Web," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 55(14), pages 1250-1260, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jacob B. Slyder & Beth R. Stein & Brent S. Sams & David M. Walker & B. Jacob Beale & Jeffrey J. Feldhaus & Carolyn A. Copenheaver, 2011. "Citation pattern and lifespan: a comparison of discipline, institution, and individual," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 89(3), pages 955-966, December.
    2. Robert Tomaszewski, 2021. "A study of citations to STEM databases: ACM Digital Library, Engineering Village, IEEE Xplore, and MathSciNet," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(2), pages 1797-1811, February.
    3. Amalia Más-Bleda & Isidro F. Aguillo, 2013. "Can a personal website be useful as an information source to assess individual scientists? The case of European highly cited researchers," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 96(1), pages 51-67, July.
    4. Amalia Mas-Bleda & Mike Thelwall & Kayvan Kousha & Isidro F. Aguillo, 2014. "Do highly cited researchers successfully use the social web?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 101(1), pages 337-356, October.

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