Citation analysis in research on differential item functioning

This paper offers a first approach to the study of citing behaviour in the literature on differential item functioning (DIF) and provides new information about the main characteristics that define that behaviour. With a focus on articles listed in the Web of Science for the period 1975–2000, the present research considers the number of self-citations included in each paper with respect to other bibliometric indicators such as year of publication, the number of signatories to a paper, author’s country of origin and the journal in which it was published. In general terms it can be concluded that in studies of DIF the mean percentage of self-citations is around 11%, this figure remaining stable over time; there is a positive correlation between the number of signatories to an article and the number of self-citations. This paper has offered a first approach to the study of citing behaviour in the literature on DIF.