Citation matters: two essays on the student journey of citation and how Google Scholar and the principle of least effort can affect academic writing

The paper consists of two short essays on citation matters. The aim is to get the academy thinking about citing and referencing from a student point of view. The first essay (on the student journey of citation) is an attempt of a framework for the academic writer, from the time they are an undergraduate student to an academic researcher. The worldview of citing and referencing is argued to develop in accordance to academic level. The second essay is on academic writing and the principle of least effort. With a few searches on Google Scholar, cyberplagiarism and the pilfering of citation context was demonstrated. With emphasis on patchwriting, the temptation of the academic writer to corner cut is not argued as being exclusive to students but more apparent by students. Technology is also argued to create a conflict for the academic writer showing a path where they can reduce effort

Upheavals to scholarly communication have not embraced Robert Merton’s normative guide to good scientific research.

An impact-driven scholarly communication system may offer new levels of views for research and new metrics to assess these works, but are the upheavals actually reinforcing the cumulative advantage of those already in power? Drawing on Robert Merton’s norms for the production of science, Avtar Natt reframes current scholarly developments and finds the roots are too deep for a fair and equal system of knowledge production

The methodology used for the Times Higher Education World University Rankings’ citations metric can distort benchmarking

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings can influence an institution’s reputation and even its future revenues. However, Avtar Natt argues that the methodology used to calculate its citation metrics can have the effect of distorting benchmarking exercises. The fractional counting approach applied to only a select number of papers with high author numbers has led to a situation whereby the methodologists have unintentionally discriminated against certain types of big science paper. This raises questions about the benchmarking and also reiterates the importance of such rankings maintaining transparency in their data and methods

What is business information literacy and can the corporate librarian contribute anything to the discourse?

The concept of business information literacy is explored through content analysis of scholarly literature and interviews with business information professionals in academic and corporate contexts. The business school librarian was found to prioritize library instruction whereas the conversion of information to competitive intelligence is important for the corporate librarian. The findings are also found to be part of wider debates surrounding information literacy and higher education. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC