Citation Manipulation Policy

Citations should reflect the real scientific relationship between works. Manipulating them is research misconduct.

What is not accepted

• Coercive citation: editors or reviewers requiring authors to cite their own work, or the journal, without a scientific reason.
• Excessive self-citation: citing the author’s own work far beyond what the study needs.
• Citation cartels and stacking: groups of authors or journals who agree to cite each other to raise their numbers.
• Adding citations that do not support the statement they are attached to.

What editors and reviewers do

A reviewer may suggest additional literature only when it is relevant, and must explain why. Reviewers and editors must not require that the journal is cited. The editor checks the reference list of every accepted article for unusual patterns.

Consequences

Authors whose manuscripts show citation manipulation are asked to revise; repeated or serious cases lead to rejection, and in published articles to a correction or retraction. Reviewers who manipulate citations are removed from the reviewer list. Reports are handled according to the Publication Ethics & Malpractice policy.