title: Does Self-Citation Influence Quantitative Measures of Research Productivity Among Academic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Quantitative measures of research productivity depend on the citation frequency of a publication. Citation-based metrics, such as the h-index (total number of publications h that have at least h citations), can be susceptible to self-citation, resulting in an inflated measure of research productivity. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the effect of self-citation on the h-index among academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs).
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was a cross-sectional study of full-time academic OMSs in the United States. The predictor variable was the frequency of self-citation. The primary outcome of interest was the h-index. Other study variables included demographic factors and citation metrics. Descriptive, bivariate, and regression statistics were computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study sample consisted of 325 full-time academic OMSs. Most surgeons were men (88.3%); approximately 40% had medical degrees. The study subjects had an average of 23.5 ± 37.1 publications. The mean number of self-citations was 15 + 56. The sample's mean h-index was 6.6 ± 7.6 and was associated with self-citation (r = 0.71, P < .001). Approximately 9% of subjects had a change in their h-index after removing self-citations. After adjusting for PhD degree, total number of publications, and academic rank, an increasing self-citation rate influenced the h-index (r = 0.006, P < .001). Surgeons with more than 14 self-citations were more likely to have their h-index influenced by self-citation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-citation among full-time academic OMSs does not substantially affect the h-index. Surgeons in the top quartile of self-citation rates are more likely to influence their h-index.
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD. Electronic address: ssusarl1@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Srinivas M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Susarla
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Edward W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Zachary S
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Washington School of Dentistry, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Dodson
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013515:Surgery, Oral; D000078329:Workforce