Proxy citation, in which scholarly publications are cited as surrogates for research tools and resources, represents an understudied feature of scholarly communication. This study examines how proxy citation operates and how canonical reference articles become established as standardized citation points for research tools, using the bibliometric mapping software VOSviewer as a case study.
The study employs cited reference analysis using the Scopus database to examine citations to the VOSviewer article. Citation patterns are analyzed in terms of temporal growth, disciplinary distribution, source titles, countries, affiliations, and funding sponsors. Manual validation of sampled citing papers was conducted to assess whether citations to the canonical article corresponded to software use.
The results show growth in citations to the VOSviewer article and distribution across disciplines and geographic regions, alongside representation within high-output research systems. Manual validation showed that citations to the canonical article overwhelmingly corresponded to software use. Citation activity increasingly coalesces around the canonical article, indicating standardization in software citation practices. The findings suggest that citation counts can serve as proxy indicators of research-tool adoption within the scholarly record, in addition to reflecting intellectual influence.
This study reframes methodological publications as evidence of research infrastructure adoption, not solely measures of intellectual contribution. The findings provide evidence consistent with proxy citation as a structural process through which research tools become visible in bibliographic databases. This perspective provides a framework for interpreting citation-based metrics and evaluating research software and other non-traditional scholarly outputs.
