Widespread reference missingness disparities in open scholarly metadata

Whose references are missing from open scholarly metadata?

This study examines missing reference lists in OpenAlex and asks whether the gaps are distributed evenly. It finds that missingness is associated with journal and institutional prestige and with country economic standing, which matters when metadata are used to compare scientific impact.

What the study found

• Missing references were more prevalent for articles associated with lower-prestige institutions and lower-impact journals.
• Regression analyses linked the disparities primarily to journal and institutional prestige, raising concerns about citation-based comparisons.

How the study works

The analysis compares reference completeness across article groups and uses regressions to examine associations with institutional, journal, and country characteristics.

Scope and limitations

• Missing references in a metadata service do not mean that the original article has no reference list.
• Results concern the database records examined by the study; coverage can change as OpenAlex is updated.

Using this work

Before calculating citation or disruption indicators, audit reference completeness for the groups being compared. Record the database snapshot and distinguish missing records from observed zero citations. Consult the paper for the sampling and regression specifications.

Cite this work

Huaxia Zhou, Lizhen Liang, Daniel E. Acuna (2026). Widespread reference missingness disparities in open scholarly metadata. Quantitative Science Studies. https://doi.org/10.1162/qss.a.400

@article{zhou2026widespread,
  title = {Widespread reference missingness disparities in open scholarly metadata},
  author = {Zhou, Huaxia and Liang, Lizhen and Acuna, Daniel E.},
  year = {2026},
  journal = {Quantitative Science Studies},
  volume = {7},
  pages = {53--65},
  doi = {10.1162/qss.a.400},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1162/qss.a.400}
}