Knowledge flows in marketing: An analysis of journal article references and citations

Abstract

Recent articles in Marketing Theory have criticized the cumulativeness and the diffusion of knowledge emanating from academic journals in marketing. The normative and the social exchange theories of citation propose that intellectual influence and knowledge transfer may be traced by examining relationships between references and citations of journal articles. Analysis of a sample of articles drawn from eight marketing journals suggests that marketing knowledge exhibits both cumulativeness and knowledge diffusion. For example, analysis of the sample of articles indicates that there is significant reciprocating influence between references and citations within a journal, across marketing journals, and across disciplinary boundaries. The influences of article references on citations are analyzed relative to the effect of the journal of publication on citations. Results indicate that the perceived quality of the journal rather than the accessibility of the journal is also influential on citations of articles.