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arXiv:2006.14979cs.DL

The Sci-hub Effect: Sci-hub downloads lead to more article citations

J. C. Correa, H. Laverde-Rojas, F. Marmolejo-Ramos, J. Tejada, Š. Bahník

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Abstract

Citations are often used as a metric of the impact of scientific publications. Here, we examine how the number of downloads from Sci-hub as well as various characteristics of publications and their authors predicts future citations. Using data from 12 leading journals in economics, consumer research, neuroscience, and multidisciplinary research, we found that articles downloaded from Sci-hub were cited 1.72 times more than papers not downloaded from Sci-hub and that the number of downloads from Sci-hub was a robust predictor of future citations. Among other characteristics of publications, the number of figures in a manuscript consistently predicts its future citations. The results suggest that limited access to publications may limit some scientific research from achieving its full impact.

arXiv comments
19 pages, 8 figures, 11 tables
Journal reference
DOI
Subjects
cs.DLDigital Libraries cs.IRInformation Retrieval stat.APApplications (Statistics)

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    • A paper on arXiv concludes that "The results suggest that limited access to publications may limit some scientific research from achieving its full impact". https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.14979

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