Benjamin C Clark, MD1, Robert J Conrad, MD1, Dylan M Russell, MD1, Fadi M Balla, MD, FACS2, Robert B Lim, MD, FACS1, Dwight C Kellicut, MD, FACS1, Christopher G Yheulon, MD, FACS1. 1Tripler Army Medical Center, 2Emory University MIS Fellowship
Introduction: For the few scientists who receive a Noble prize, the impact and relevance of their research is unquestionable. For the rest of us, how does one quantify the impact and relevance of an individual’s research? The Hirsch Index (H-Index) is a widely utilized academic metric that measures both productivity and citation impact. In general, a higher H-Index signifies more impactful publications. Both citation and self-citation affect H-Index. The purpose of this study is to define the publication patterns and the impact of self-citation among professors in general surgery residency programs.
Methods: Through the Association of Program Directors in Surgery website, 65 surgical residency programs were randomly selected from the 259 listed. A list of Professors was obtained from these programs. Publication patterns of each professor were analyzed. Using the Scopus database, we calculated the number of publications, citations, self-citations, and H-Index for each surgeon. We determined the number of faculty in which the H-Index changed due to self-citation and the magnitude of those changes.
Results: A total of 685 Professors of Surgery were identified. The mean number ± SD of publications, citations, and H-Index for the cohort were 81.4 ± 93.5, 2752 ± 4935, and 20.5 ± 17.3, respectively. The self-citation rate for the entire cohort was 4.06%. Excluding self-citations reduces the mean number of citations to 2640 ± 4604 and H-Index to 20.1 ± 17.0. The H-Index remained unchanged for 72% (496/685) of surgeons. Only 2.9% (20/685) had a change in H-Index of greater than two integers.
Conclusion: Self-Citation is infrequent (4.06%) and has a minimal impact (average H-Index change of 0.3) on the academic profile of professors in general surgery residency programs.
Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.
Abstract ID: 95534
Program Number: P412
Presentation Session: Poster Session (Non CME)
Presentation Type: Poster