Research Notes

The physics of journal self-citation

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  • 1Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Nevada, Nevada 89557-0312, USA;
    2State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Peking University, Beijing, China;
    3Department of Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Vavrečkova 5669, 760 01 Zlín, Czech Republic;
    4Chemical Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA;
    5State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power, Mechatronic Systems and Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
† Alan J. Giacomin (Email: giacomin@unr.edu).

Received date: 2025-02-07

  Revised date: 2025-04-15

  Accepted date: 2025-05-12

  Online published: 2025-06-25

Abstract

Purpose: This study explores the implications of low journal self-citation rate (LJSCR). While some interpret LJSCR as a sign that a journal's authors do not cite each other's work, others see it as a mark of prestige, reflecting greater recognition from outside the journal. We argue that these perspectives are not contradictory: low self-citation can be prestigious precisely because it reflects low self-readership.
Design/methodology/approach: We analyze the physics and mathematics of journal self-citation. Our findings show that the self-citation rate (i) increases with journal market share, (ii) approaches a well-defined upper bound, (iii) this upper bound remains significantly below unity, and (iv) without a minimum level of market share, self-citation is virtually absent. Here, market share refers to the proportion of a journal's publications relative to its Web of Science (WOS) subject category. To test our analysis, we examine 61 journal-years of data from three major hybrid fluid dynamics journals: Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Physical Review Fluids, and Physics of Fluids.
Findings: We identify a consistent relationship between journal self-citation and market share. A striking result is the mathematical analogy we establish between journal self-citation behavior and the concentration of intermediates in consecutive irreversible unimolecular chemical reactions. We also observe that creating specialized subdisciplinary journals (“twigging”) can reduce self-citation rates by narrowing scope.
Research limitations: The study is limited to fluid dynamics journals. Broader validation across disciplines is needed.
Practical implications: Editors and publishers can apply these insights to interpret citation metrics and assess the visibility and readership of their journals.
Originality/value: This work redefines LJSCR as a counterintuitive metric—one that may reflect both low author engagement and high external impact. It introduces a novel physics-based model to understand citation behavior across journals.

Cite this article

Alan J. Giacomin, Martin Zatloukal, Mona A. Kanso, Nhan Phan-Thien . The physics of journal self-citation[J]. Journal of Data and Information Science, 0 : 1 -1 . DOI: 10.2478/jdis-2025-0007

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