Citation speed as a measure to predict the attention an article receives: An investigation of the validity of editorial decisions at Angewandte Chemie International Edition

The scientific quality of a publication can be determined not only based on the number of times it is cited but also based on the speed with which its content is disseminated in the scientific community. In this study we tested whether manuscripts that were accepted by Angewandte Chemie International Edition (one of the prime chemistry journals worldwide) received the first citation after publication faster than manuscripts that were rejected by the journal but published elsewhere. The results of a Cox regression model show that accepted manuscripts have a 49% higher hazard rate of citation than rejected manuscripts. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.