Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS research.

IntroductionJournal self-citation contributes to the overall citation count of a journal and to some metrics like the impact factor. However, little is known about the extent of journal self-citations in COVID-19 research. This study aimed to determine the journal self-citations in COVID-19 research and to compare them according to the type of publication and publisher.MethodsData in COVID-19 research extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection 2020–2023 was collected and further analyzed with InCites. The journals with the highest self-citation rates and self-citation per publication were identified. Statistical comparisons were made according to the type of publication and publishers, as well as with other major infectious diseases.ResultsThe median self-citation rate was 4.0% (IQR 0–11.7%), and the median journal self-citation rate was 5.9% (IQR 0–12.5%). 1,859 journals (13% of total coverage) had self-citation rates at or above 20%, meaning that more than one in five references are journal self-citations. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation of self-citations with the other indicators, including number of publications, citations, and self-citations per publication (pConclusionSome journals from the Web of Science Core Collection displayed exorbitant journal self-citation patterns during the period 2020–2023. Approximately, one in every five paper references in COVID-19 is a journal self-citation. Types of publication such as editorials engage in this practice more frequently than others, suggesting that in COVID-19 research, self-citing non-citable items could potentially contribute to inflate journal impact factors during the pandemic.