What is Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI)?

FWCI stands for Field-Weighted Citation Impact. It is a bibliometric indicator used to assess the citation impact of a particular publication, journal, author, or institution, taking into account the average citation impact within its specific research field. Field-Weighted Citation Impact is the ratio of the total citations actually received by the denominator output and the total citations expected based on the average of the subject field. 

FWCI is designed to provide a more meaningful comparison of citation impact by accounting for the citation patterns and practices within a specific field of research. It helps to address the inherent variations in citation rates across different disciplines, as citation practices can differ significantly among fields.

The calculation of FWCI involves comparing the actual citations received by a publication, journal, author, or institution to the expected citation rates within its research field. The expected citation rates are derived from a reference set of publications within the same field, usually based on a specific time period and citation window.

By using FWCI, researchers and evaluators can gauge the relative impact of scholarly outputs in a more field-specific context. It allows for fairer comparisons between publications or researchers in different fields and helps identify research that has achieved above-average citation impact within its field.

A Field-Weighted Citation Impact of:

• Exactly 1 means that the output performs just as expected for the global average.
• More than 1 means that the output is more cited than expected according to the global average. For example, 1.48 means 48% more cited than expected.
• Less than 1 means that the output is cited less than expected according to the global average.

Field-Weighted Citation Impact takes into account the differences in research behavior across disciplines. It is beneficial for a denominator that combines a number of different fields, although it can be applied to any denominator:

• Researchers working in fields such as medicine and biochemistry typically produce more output with more co-authors and longer reference lists than researchers working in fields such as mathematics and education; this is a reflection of research culture and not performance.
• In a denominator comprising multiple disciplines, the effects of outputs in medicine and biochemistry dominate the effects of those in mathematics and education.
• This means that using non-weighted metrics, an institution that is focused on medicine will appear to perform better than an institution that specializes in social sciences.
• The methodology of Field-Weighted Citation Impact accounts for these disciplinary differences.

FWCI is often used in bibliometric studies and research evaluations to complement other traditional citation metrics, such as total citation counts or impact factors, providing a more nuanced and contextualized assessment of research impact.

1. Calculation Method: The calculation of FWCI involves comparing the actual citations received by a publication, journal, author, or institution to the expected citation rates within a specific field. The expected citation rates are calculated based on a reference set of publications within the same field, typically using a specific time period and citation window.
2. Normalization: FWCI normalizes the citation impact by accounting for the average citation rates within the field. This normalization helps mitigate the variations in citation practices and citation culture among different research disciplines.
3. Field-Specific Evaluation: FWCI enables a more field-specific evaluation of research impact. It recognizes that citation patterns and citation impact can vary significantly across different research fields, considering the specific context in which research is conducted.
4. Cross-Disciplinary Comparisons: FWCI allows for fairer comparisons of research impact across different disciplines. By accounting for the average citation rates within each field, it helps avoid biased assessments that can arise when using traditional citation metrics that do not consider field-specific differences.
5. Benchmarking: FWCI can be used as a benchmarking tool to compare the citation impact of specific publications, journals, authors, or institutions against the average citation impact within their respective fields. This benchmarking provides a more contextually relevant assessment of research impact.
6. Limitations: Like any metric, FWCI has its limitations. It relies on the availability and accuracy of data within the citation databases. The accuracy of the expected citation rates can be influenced by the composition and representativeness of the reference set used for calculation. Additionally, FWCI is subject to variations in citation practices and behaviors, and it may not capture the full range of research impact factors.
7. Complementary Metric: FWCI is often used in conjunction with other citation metrics, such as h-index, impact factor, or citation counts, to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of research impact. The combination of multiple metrics helps to capture different aspects of impact and provides a more well-rounded assessment.

In summary, Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) is a metric that accounts for the average citation rates within a specific research field, allowing for fairer comparisons of research impact across disciplines. By providing a field-specific evaluation, FWCI enhances the contextual understanding of research impact and complements other traditional citation metrics.