Policy Citations

What it is

The number of times a research output has been mentioned in policy documents from government bodies, professional organizations or bodies, or non-government organizations (NGO), usually in the form of a citation. Policy mentions to research typically capture citations to journal articles and books from policy documents.

How it works

Typically this is a count of citations to a journal article or book found in a body of policy documents. Citations are text-mined from the full-text of policy documents using author name, journal name, or document identifiers like DOIs to find references.

Policy citations are tracked by Altmetric, Dimensions, Overton.io, and PlumX. Each data provider tracks different policy organizations and sources. Data sources may include governmental and non-governmental policy documents and guidelines from countries and regions worldwide. Policy may include xxxx types of documents.

Policy citations can indicate how research has influenced policy or practice in a particular field. Research is typically cited in public policy documents for three reasons: - “data used instrumentally to inform policy decisions; - arguments used strategically to address values and interests or symbolically to support, justify or refute predetermined positions; - or ideas that influence the policy climate and agenda-setting by illuminating, supporting and challenging existing paradigms.”

What to keep in mind

  • Policy documents tend to cite journal articles more than other documents.
  • You should be aware of the policy sources included and excluded by the metrics provider.
  • Research and researchers may influence policy and decision making in indirect ways that are not always trackable via policy citations.
  • Policy mentions of scientific articles are relatively scarce.
  • The social sciences, life & earth sciences and biomedical sciences are cited more often in policy documents. Specific fields such as economics, climate science, medicine, dentistry, and health are cited in public policy documents at higher rates than other fields.
  • Documents tracked by metrics providers may depend upon the openness and language of the policy documents and the provider’s awareness of policy sources.
  • Citations in policy documents are subject to the same biases as other publications.
  • See the General Issues & Limitations of Metrics post [add link]

Learn more

Becker Medical Library Model for Assessment of Research Impact

Wikipedia mentions
Citations, articles

Last updated April 2022