Predictors of 5-Year Citation Rate in the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Literature

Background: The citation rate of a research published article is an indicator of its quality and impact and contributes to the journal's impact factor. Within the orthopaedic sports medicine literature, predictors of citation rates have not been previously described. Purpose: To identify characteristics of published articles that predict 5-year citation rates of studies in the orthopaedic sports medicine literature. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Research articles published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM), Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, and Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy (KSSTA) from 2012 were analyzed. Extracted characteristics of published articles included journal, author number, origin of study, first author degree, subject of study, study type, sample size, number of references and institutions, conflicts of interest, level of evidence, and 5-year citation rates. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine predictors of greater than the mean number of citations at 5 years. Results: A total of 825 published articles (AJSM, n = 313; Arthroscopy, n = 173; KSSTA, n = 339) were included in the final analysis. The mean number of 5-year citations was 23.2 (95% CI, 21.6-24.9; range, 1.0-260.0). AJSM had a significantly greater citation rate (32.4) than Arthroscopy (21.7) and KSSTA (15.2) (P < .001 for both). Arthroscopy had a greater citation rate than KSSTA (P = .008). Independent predictors of greater than the mean number of citations at 5 years were published articles in AJSM (odds ratio [OR], 5.17; 95% CI, 2.81-9.52; P < .0001), published articles of North American origin (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.25-2.58; P = .002), and published articles regarding the hip (OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.08-6.67; P = .035). Conclusion: Published articles in AJSM, those from North America, and those examining the hip were independent predictors of greater citation rates at 5 years.