Past, Present, and Future of Citation Practices in HCI

TL;DR

This paper examines how a 2016 editorial policy change at the ACM CHI Conference influenced citation practices, leading to increased references per article and highlighting the impact of community-level decisions on scientific behavior.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on how a specific policy change at CHI affected citation trends and community behavior over time.

Findings

References per article increased after 2016 policy change

Trend toward more citations may lead to author and reviewer fatigue

Policy changes at the community level can significantly influence scientific practices

Abstract

Science is a complex system comprised of many scientists who individually make decisions that, due to the size and nature of the academic system, largely do not affect the system as a whole. However, certain decisions at the meso-level of research communities, such as the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) community, may result in deep and long-lasting behavioral changes in scientists. In this article, we provide empirical evidence on how a change in editorial policies introduced at the ACM CHI Conference in 2016 destabilized the CHI research community and launched it on an expansive path, denoted by a year-by-year increase in the mean number of references included in CHI articles. If this near-linear trend continues undisrupted, an article at CHI 2030 will include on average almost 130 references. The trend toward more citations reflects a citation culture where quantity is prioritized over quality, contributing to both author and peer reviewer fatigue. Our exploratory analysis highlights the profound impact of meso-level policy adjustments on the evolution of scientific fields and disciplines, urging all stakeholders to carefully consider the broader implications of such changes.