Exploring self-referencing patterns in inaugural lectures of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria: A 25-year informetrics analysis

Abstract

The study investigated exploring self-referencing patterns in inaugural lectures of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria: A 25-year informetric analysis between 1994 and 2018. Using descriptive content analysis, 3713 references cited in 57 ILs were analysed. The findings revealed that an average of 62 document sources were used as references per IL. While self-referencing accounted for 35.5% of total references, with professors citing their work as sole authors (12.15%), lead authors (14.03%), or team authors (9.32%). A significant proportion (64.5%) of the cited references originated from external publications. Journals were the most preferred source of information, but patents were rarely mentioned. Our analysis reveals a steady increase in ILs since 2009 and a consistent change in authorship position, collaboration strategies, and document sources. This study recommended that ILs should serve as a reliable source of institutional databases, providing valuable insights into professors' research productivity.