Editorial rejection: “you aren’t citing articles of Statistical Papers” (SP17526)

The log Statistical Papers, with editorial workplace at the University of Dortmund rejects all manuscript submissions in the event that authors don’t cite papers out of this journal that is springer-published. The editors claim it really is maybe maybe maybe not about effect element rigging.

Every once in awhile, researchers publishing their work with book encounter a request from editors to cite some random previous documents from exact same log. Why? One explanation: it does increase the effect factor. In fact, for several journals it really is perhaps the unofficial guideline that such journal-self-citations are anticipated, or your paper are going to be refused. Some researchers abide ahead of time, which will make editors delighted. Many other people have a problem with the idea that they find unethical. The German editor for the Springer log Statistical Papers will explain to you personally right right here why this is basically the scientifically correct and way that is perfectly objective run a log.

A conversation was raised on Twitter recently, for the duration of which neither the journal maybe maybe not the editor had been called.

Mark Hayter, teacher of medical at University of Hull in UK and a log editor himself, tweeted:

“A PhD student of mine possessed a paper accepted – one condition of acceptance had been that she ratings her recommendations and includes any appropriate present papers from the accepting journal”

Then included the log was “Not predatory. Distinguished journal, person in COPE and from a sizable,international publishing house” as well as specified her to review her references and include ‘recent, relevant’ papers from the accepting Journal that“They asked. No papers that are specific suggested“. Ended up, Hayter had not been alone with this experience:

A reviewer ( maybe maybe not editor) when told me personally to add citations from that log during my revision. a high log too. Very strange. I obtained into the practice of incorporating a few cites that are journal wherever I’m submitting and nearly forget to give some thought to the ethics. This can be waking me up.

More anecdotes arrived, like that one through the certain part of medication:

Certainly, a method to falsely inflate impact factors.

There clearly was another cardiology that is international historically that insisted you cite their ethics declaration (posted as a paper).

It absolutely was cited a great deal, their impact relocated from circa 2 to over 6 in three years. #gaming #unethical

Almost all of the replies had been critical, such as this advice through the Hindawi research integrity supervisor Matt Hodgkinson:

For several we all know, the writers may have valued the Twitter outrage after which simply did exactly what the editor said and quoted some papers that are random the log. Why enemies that are making as opposed to making documents? Some experts revealed also understanding for the policy:

I’ve blended feelings about any of it. One argument is in the event that you choose a certain log you might be focusing on a residential district of scholars. It really is rational to test whatever they have previously stated regarding the subject together with rational location to begin could be the log you’ve chosen.

Now Professor Stephen John Senn of Luxembourg Institute of wellness is really a statistician, he can certainly agree totally that the policy that is following of journal Statistical Papers is okay as it’s. I am talking about, should your tasks are written in the type of a paper which is about data, you sure must cite something from this especially significant log, exactly what with all the title, “Statistical Papers“, right?

This is the e-mail an audience forwarded if you ask me, a recently gotten answer their refused manuscript distribution:

Dear …., your paper has some merits. Nevertheless, given the enormous range submissions our company is receiving recently we now have made a decision to concentrate on documents which are linked to work that is previous within our log. And also this will not appear to be the full instance together with your paper because you aren’t citing articles of Statistical Papers. Furthermore, the guide list just isn’t of great quality: often the pages regarding the log articles are missing.Thank you for providing us the chance to consider carefully your work.Yours sincerelyChristine H. MьllerEditor-in-Chief, Statistical Papers

We contacted the EiC Christine Mьller, teacher of data in engineering during the Technical University of Dortmund (TU Dortmund) in Germany. She replied, confirming the e-mail resume writer authenticity:

“Due towards the amount that is high of, we need to set strict requirements, and two of these would be the quality associated with paper in addition to relationship to many other documents of y our log. Then we usually ask for a resubmission if the quality is ok and only Statistical Papers is not cited. But, here the standard, suggested by the guide list, is apparently dubious.”

I was unconvinced this training had nothing in connection with the Journal effect Factor (presently at 1.345 for Statistical documents) and in addition puzzled how a editors could judge a manuscript entirely on such basis as its reference formatting (“page numbers missing”). Mьller then clarified:

“we want to be sure that submissions fit to your log and a great indicator is often just how well it’s linked to past work with our log. Note that individuals generally speaking usually do not judge that solely by whether another SP-paper is cited or perhaps not since you may see from checking our published articles (the self-citation price of SP just isn’t greater than that of comparable journals and you’ll know that anyway only cites of within 36 months affect the IF). Needless to say the grade of a paper just isn’t judged by the guide formatting. Nonetheless, we’ve the knowledge that a sloppy guide list is an indication of the sloppy written paper. We genuinely believe that editors of other journals may have the experience that is same can make comparable conclusions. Thus the remark from the guide area ended up being meant as solution towards the writer.”

That e-mail ended up being finalized by Christine Mьller and also the other two editors that are chief Carsten Jentsch, teacher of data in economics at same TU Dortmund, and Werner Mьller, professor at Institute for Applied Statistics at University of Linz, Austria.

The journal’s writers seem to comply with these unofficial editorial guidelines. We looked over the very first 3 recently posted studies in Statistical Papers (all incidentally from China), one sources 4 documents here, another references 2, 3rd sources 1 paper in exact exact same log. It is the range of Statistical Papers really that slim? This is just what the log site states in this respect:

“Statistical Papers supplies a forum for the presentation and critical evaluation of analytical practices. In specific, the log encourages the conversation of methodological fundamentals in addition to possible applications.

This log stresses analytical practices which have broad applications; nonetheless, it can offer attention that is special analytical techniques which are strongly related the commercial and social sciences. As well as initial research documents, visitors will discover study articles, brief records, reports on analytical computer computer software, issue part, and book reviews”

Nowhere its mentioned that the submissions must cite some random previous papers in exact exact same log to match the range. The assigned publisher administrator from Springer decided to go with to not ever respond to my email messages, and exactly why whenever they. The editors do their finest to improve the journal’s citation index.

But also for argument’s sake, if Statistical Papers is its very own field that is separate, clearly the Editor-in-Chief will soon be expert for the particular technology part of “Statistical Papers”? Unfortuitously, this woman is certainly not. an extended selection of magazines is published by Christine Mьller on the TU Dortmund internet site, from 1984 till now, presumably her entire research production, since maybe not otherwise specified. Yet just two of Mьller’s statistical documents showed up in her own log Statistical Papers, that is posted since 1960 (until 1995, even yet in German). Her namesake editor colleague Werner Mьller even offers just two documents in this log to exhibit, while Jentsch will not record a solitary book in Statistical Papers on their site.

Essentially, these are typically industry outsiders regarding the niche that is obscure technology of Statistical Papers, having hardly (or otherwise not after all) published here by themselves. Or even their very own journal’s impact element is too low and requirements boosting before Mьller, Mьller & Jentsch ponder over it as being a location?

In the event that you had comparable experiences with editors imposing citation that is own-journal, please contemplate sharing these below into the remark area.

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