Who are the heavy hitters? A citation analysis of the most impactful research in the Journal of Experimental Criminology over the past two decades

This study conducts the first known citation analysis of the most impactful research in the Journal of Experimental Criminology (JOEX). Citation analysis is used to increase our understanding of “research quality” as it pertains to the experimental literature base in criminology and criminal justice.

Using Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Crossref, citation counts were performed on all articles published in JOEX from its inception in 2005 to 2023 (n = 552), excluding self-citations. Once data were gathered, several forms of analyses were undertaken. First, a calculation of the average number of citations per year was determined between 2005 and 2023. In addition, a temporal analysis was used to assess whether citations decay over time after initial publication. For purposes of this research, the top 10 most cited systematic reviews and meta-analyses and the top 10 most cited experimental articles will be assessed.

The most cited systematic review and meta-analysis were from Ttofi and Farrington (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7, 27-56, 2011). Specifically, Ttofi and Farrington’s (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7, 27-56, 2011) systematic review and meta-analysis on school-based programs to reduce anti-bullying amassed 2200 citations on Google Scholar and yielded an average of 183.3 citations per year. The same study had 858 citations on Web of Science, with an average of 71.5 per year, and 957 citations on Crossref, with an average of 79.8 citations per year. One of the top-cited experiments was from Mazerolle et al. (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 8, 343-367, 2012). Specifically, Mazerolle et al.’s (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 8, 343-367, 2012) experimental study of procedural justice of the police in Queensland, Australia, amassed 355 citations on Google Scholar, with an average of 32.3 per year. The same study had 174 citations on Web of Science (15.8 per year) and 177 on Crossref (16.1 per year).

The citation analysis presents an assessment of the most influential systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and experiments in JOEX. Ttofi and Farrington (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7, 27-56, 2011) produced the most impactful systematic review or meta-analysis, while Mazerolle et al. (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 8, 343-367, 2012) was one of the most cited experiments. This contributes to our understanding of criminological research pertaining to quality experimental research.