Assessment of factors influencing the citation level of scientific publications in the field of sport and physical activity

Background and Study Aim. The citation level of scientific publications is a key indicator of their scientific impact and significance. With the increasing number of publications in the field of sport and physical activity, it is crucial to identify the factors influencing citation levels. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between the number of cited references and the citation level of publications. Additionally, the study examines the impact of access mode (open or closed) and publication type on citation metrics. Materials and Methods. The study is based on the analysis of bibliographic data from the Web of Science database covering the period from 2015 to 2024. The dataset includes 10,000 publications related to sport and physical activity. Metrics such as Cited Reference Count (NR), Times Cited (TC), and Total Times Cited (Z9) were used to evaluate the relationship between the number of cited references and the citation level of publications. The study also analyzed the impact of access mode (open or closed) and publication type (Article, Review, Other) on citation metrics. Data processing involved descriptive statistical methods and nonparametric tests, including Spearman's correlation and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. The analysis of bibliographic data revealed the following patterns. The citation level of publications is associated with the number of cited references (NR); however, the correlation remains weak (Spearman's coefficients: 0.1329 for TC and 0.1342 for Z9). The average number of cited references for highly cited articles is 69.56, with a maximum value of 766. Open-access publications exhibit significantly higher citation levels. Among them, the "Green Accepted" (7.19%) and "Green Published, hybrid" (4.45%) formats make a substantial contribution. However, the majority of publications (60.14%) fall into the "Unknown" category, limiting the assessment of their accessibility. An analysis of publication types showed that Review and Article formats have the greatest impact. These account for 21.81% and 75.29% of highly cited works, respectively. In the high-citation category, most publications fall into the "Moderate" citation subcategory (52.5%), followed by "Low High" (46.21%), while only 1.29% are in the "High" and "Very High" subcategories. A temporal analysis demonstrated that the highest number of highly cited publications was from 2015 (1,890 publications), followed by a decline in subsequent years. The lowest citation levels were observed for 2024 publications (only 18 articles), likely due to insufficient time for citation accumulation. These results confirm the influence of factors such as accessibility, publication type, and temporal characteristics on the citation metrics of publications in the field of sport and physical activity. Conclusions. The study highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to analyzing factors influencing the citation levels of scientific publications. Considering contextual characteristics such as publication accessibility, type, and temporal aspects is key to understanding the mechanisms underlying citation dynamics. The findings provide a foundation for developing strategies to enhance the scientific significance of publications, including optimizing article structure, selecting appropriate access models, and accounting for disciplinary specificity. Further research in this area will deepen the understanding of the relationships between various factors and citation levels, contributing to improved quality and visibility of scientific work.