Abstract
Purpose - This article provides a new insight in the reasons why authors cite.Design/methodology/approach - The authors argue that based on philosophical ideas about the essence of things pure rational thinking about the role of citations leads to the answer.Findings - Citations originate from the interestingness of the investigated phenomenon. The essence of citation lies in the interaction between different ideas or perspectives on a phenomenon addressed in the citing as well as in the cited articles.Research limitations/implications - Our findings only apply to ethical (not whimsical or self-serving) citations. Practical implications - As such citations reflect interactions of scientific ideas, they can reveal the evolution of science, revive the cognitive process of an investigated scientific phenomenon Originality/value - This article is the first to propose interestingness and the interaction of ideas as the basic reason for citing. This view on citations allows reverse engineering from citations to ideas and hence becomes useful for science policy.
Purpose - This article provides a new insight in the reasons why authors cite.Design/methodology/approach - The authors argue that based on philosophical ideas about the essence of things pure rational thinking about the role of citations leads to the answer.Findings - Citations originate from the interestingness of the investigated phenomenon. The essence of citation lies in the interaction between different ideas or perspectives on a phenomenon addressed in the citing as well as in the cited articles.Research limitations/implications - Our findings only apply to ethical (not whimsical or self-serving) citations. Practical implications - As such citations reflect interactions of scientific ideas, they can reveal the evolution of science, revive the cognitive process of an investigated scientific phenomenon Originality/value - This article is the first to propose interestingness and the interaction of ideas as the basic reason for citing. This view on citations allows reverse engineering from citations to ideas and hence becomes useful for science policy.
