So for top journal publication standards, I know predatory journals shouldn’t be avoided as much as possible… But, what about citing too much? For example, lets say I decide to cite several articles on multiple claims versus citing a single review article on that same multiple claim. Does this matter that much? Can it get your paper rejected?
Comments
It’s probably journal dependent, but the rigor of your methodology and the presentation of the results is what matters most. The introduction section can be revised based on reviewer comments, but if you have a flawed study, you’re sunk.
You should cite whichever one you’re citing and you should know which it is. If you read the papers listed in the review and are citing what it actually says in those papers, you cite those papers. If you’re citing the synoptic opinion given by the review paper, you cite the review paper. At no time should you copy the references from the review paper into your own without having read them (not saying you do, but shockingly many people do). I don’t know what any of that has to do with your statement about “predatory journals” but the journal name is irrelevant to the decision. You can’t hide the fact that the information you want is in a journal you think is shit by citing instead a review paper that cited it in a journal you like. Citing isn’t different in “top journal publication standards” from anywhere else, you need to give the correct information on where you found what you’re stating. Generally I think the phrases “top standards” and “does it matter that much” don’t really go together, things get to be at the top because the people doing them take care of the details. Good luck.
Depends on the point you want to make. If it just a general claim, then a review article is sufficient.
I’ve never seen a paper rejected based on incorrect or too many citations. Of course there are reviewers who ask for revisions hoping to get you to cite their paper(s).
Another issue is accuracy. I have seen papers where cited references are not the correct references for claims, or that a reference is included just to boost the cites of the authors’ own work(s). In both instances, you’ll get a comment, assuming a reviewer is checking, but it wouldn’t lead to a rejection.
Lastly, it is interesting that you ask about citing papers in predatory journals. May be you are trying to cite your own papers, or that you work for MDPI (for example). 🙂