How recent is recent? Retrospective analysis of suspiciously timeless citations
This playful analysis suggests that "recent" is applied with striking elasticity across biomedical literature. While some authors cite genuinely recent work, others stretch the definition to decades. Readers and reviewers should take "recent" claims with a grain of chronological salt.
Authors
- José Ramón Arribas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7410-9450)
- Alejandro Vidal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2609-2559)
Institutions
- Hospital Universitario La Paz (ES)
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES)
- Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research (ES)
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMJ
- Published
- 2025-12-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2025-086941
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Academic Writing and Publishing
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 18.02