Aussies on citation counts

The Australian article on citations.

At least we the publishers and our products (like Scopus and ISI Thomson) are not the only culprits.

"What is coming through very, very clearly is that people are manipulating citations" said Colin Steele, an expert on scholarly communication. The culprits were publishers, academics and "by implication, vice-chancellors," he said."

"Gordon Parker, a psychiatrist of depression who directs the Black Dog Institute affiliated with the University of NSW, said a high count was one useful signal of a researcher's work. "But we also need other signals," Professor Parker said. "Is there quality as against mere quantity? Is the output respected by peers in the field?"

"Mr Steele, an emeritus fellow and former librarian at ANU, said academic publishing was suffering from "article obesity"."