title: An analysis of the citation climate in neurosurgical literature and description of an interfield citation metric.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The citation climate in neurosurgical literature is largely undefined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the patterns of citation of articles in neurosurgery as a scientific field and to evaluate the performance of neurosurgery journals vis-à-vis journals in other fields.
  
  
  METHODS
  References cited in articles published in neurosurgery journals during a specified time period were analyzed to determine the age of articles cited in neurosurgical literature. In the next analysis, articles published in neurosurgical journals were followed up for 13 years after publication. The postpublication citation patterns were analyzed to determine the time taken to reach the maximally cited state and the time when articles stopped being cited. The final part of the study dealt with the evolution of a new interfield citation metric, which was then compared with other standardized citation indexes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ± SD age of articles cited in neurosurgical literature was 11.6 ± 11.7 years (median, 8 years). Citations received by articles gradually increased to a peak (at 6.25 years after publication in neurosurgery) and then reached a steady state; articles were still cited well into the late postpublication period. Neurosurgical articles published in nonneurosurgical high-impact journals were cited more highly than those in neurosurgical journals, although they took approximately the same time to reach the maximally cited state (7.2 years). The most cited pure neurosurgery journal was Neurosurgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The citation climate for neurosurgery was adequately described. The interfield citation metric was able to ensure cross-field comparability of journal performance.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  G1, group 1G2, group 2G3, group 3G4, group 4IFCM, interfield citation metric.
authors: ‡Department of Neurosurgery, Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, India; §Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, India; ¶Clinical Fellow, Department of Neurosurgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana; ‖Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana.
authors: Venkatesh S
authors: VS
authors: Madhugiri
authors: Gopalakrishnan M
authors: GM
authors: Sasidharan
authors: Venkatesan
authors: V
authors: Subeikshanan
authors: Akshat
authors: A
authors: Dutt
authors: Sudheer
authors: S
authors: Ambekar
authors: Shane F
authors: SF
authors: Strom
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D006801:Humans; D009493:Neurosurgery; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D011643:Publishing