An Empirical Citation Study of C&RL, JAL, and portal: Most Often Cited Titles and Authors

Abstract

The present study examines citation characteristics of a selection of the literature on academic librarianship, drawing specifically from three source titles: College & Research Libraries, the Journal of Academic Librarianship, and portal: Libraries and the Academy. The analysis focuses on references in these journals’ articles published from 2001 through 2008, as well as citations to those articles, most cited individuals, and the incorporation, or lack thereof, of literature outside the profession of librarianship. The limitations of empirical citation analysis are clearly stated, and the effects of those limitations on conclusions are described.