Citation Metrics in Psychological Science.

Area of Science:

• Psychological Science
• Bibliometrics
• Academic Research

Background:

• Citation counts are a key metric in academic evaluation.
• Understanding citation norms is crucial for faculty assessment.
• Previous research has not comprehensively analyzed citation data across diverse psychology departments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish norms for faculty citation counts in US PhD-granting psychology departments.
• To analyze the distribution and trends of citation metrics.
• To investigate the relationship between citation counts, career stage, and institutional ranking.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of citation data for 811 faculty members across 30 US psychology departments.
• Inclusion of departments representing the full spectrum of National Research Council rankings.
• Statistical examination of citation count distribution, growth rates, and predictive factors.

Main Results:

• Citation counts exhibit a highly skewed distribution, with a median of 149 citations per year.
• Significant variation exists, with some faculty in lower-ranked departments outperforming averages in higher-ranked ones.
• Early-career citation counts predict later success and are increasing faster than for previous cohorts.

Conclusions:

• Psychological science contributions are widespread and growing, not confined to a few elite researchers or institutions.
• Early career citation success is a strong predictor of long-term impact.
• Citation norms show no significant differences across psychology subfields.