Using the Kruskal-Wallis H Test to Compare Citation Differences Among Communication Areas of Specialization in the Title of the Article

Abstract

This study examines how including specific communication areas of specialization “in the title of an  article” affects its citation count. Using Google Scholar’s “Cite By” data and the Kruskal-Wallis H test, a  method used when the data is non-parametric and violates the assumption of normal distributions, we  compared citation numbers for 480 articles across 12 National Communication Association (NCA)  specializations, ranked by search results. Articles were categorized based on whether the specialization  appeared in the title (experimental) or anywhere else in the article (as baseline control). Tier 1 analysis,  comparing six groups, resulted in H (5, 240) = 69.144, p< .001, with a large effect size of ????2≈0.2741. The  Tier 2 analysis, comparing six different groups, resulted in H (5, 240) =59.257, p< .001, with a large effect  size of ????2≈0.2319. A contribution to knowledge management, our findings indicate that keyword placement  in the title of the article is an effective tool which influences scholarly impact. Keywords in the title of the  article is a powerful and generally effective tool for maximizing citation counts in the communication field,  though its impact can vary depending on the specific area of specialization.