Journal self-citation XX: Citations and the question of fit

Abstract

This paper reviews several reasons why a number of self-references in a journal paper may indicate the fit of a paper to the scope of a journal. It shows how the calculation of impact factors and their thoughtless use for promotion/funding can encourage unethical behavior of editors and reviewers. Those actions may considerably hinder the objectiveness of scientific research and compromise the quality of search engines, such as Google Scholar, that use the number of citations as an important source for ranking results. © 2009 by the authors.