What is a Citation Worth?

Abstract

A robust finding in all studies is that citations are a positive and significant determinant of earnings over almost all of the observed range of citation levels. The marginal value of a citation (when the level of citations is zero) varies between $50 and $1,300. Some differences in marginal values may be due to differences in citation practices among disciplines while others may be due to differences among the studies in the control variables included in the salary regressions. Finally, no gain in explanatory power results from the inclusion in the salary regression of the costly nonfirst-author citation measure.