Determinants of citation impact: A comparative analysis of the Global South versus the Global North
Hugo Confraria, Manuel Mira Godinho & Lili Wang
#2016-029
The impact of the scientific output produced by different nations in
different fields varies extensively. In this article, we apply
bibliometric and econometric analysis to identify which countries are
producing research with relatively higher scientific influence, and to
understand what factors lead to higher citation impact. We focus
specifically on the Global South because countries in this group are
starting to converge in terms of output with the Global North. We find
that previous citation impact, level of international collaboration and
total publications in a specific scientific field are important
determinants of citation impact among all nations. Yet, specialisation
in particular scientific fields seems significantly more important in
the Global South than in the Global North. We propose possible
explanations for the patterns found and derive some policy implications.
Key words: Science, Global South, Development, Research policy,
Bibliometrics, Scientific impact, Citation impact.
JEL Classification: O38, O39, O57
