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Publication and Citation Analysis

Figure 5.1 Chubin-Moitra scheme.

paper is central to the reported research: It is a reference on which the
citing article really depends. If a specific method, tool or mathematical
result is not directly connected to the subject of the paper, but is still
essential to the reported research it is categorized as a subsidiary citation.
Supplementary citations provide additional information when the refer-
enced paper contains an independent supportive observation (idea or
finding) with which the citer agrees. Included in the perfunctory category
are papers referred to as related to the reported research without addi-
tional comment. Finally, the division of negative citations into partial and
total needs no further comment. Using this classification scheme Chubin
and Moitra found 20% perfunctory citations and about 5% negative cita-
tions, none of which was totally negational.

5.4.3 White’s Synthesis
Admittedly, the difference between essential subsidiary and supplemen-
tary additional is in practice difficult to make. Hence we agree with
White’s (2001) synthesis, leading to four citation contexts:
• Perfunctory-positive: pointing to related studies, providing back-
ground, invoking a prestigious name.
• Perfunctory-negative: justifying a study by pointing to omissions in
prior studies.
• Organic-positive: discussing previous research in detail; acknowledging
concepts, methods, hypotheses introduced in earlier research; pointing
to research results which are essential for the author’s research.
• Organic-negative: showing errors in previous publications; refuting
the conclusions of earlier research.