HACKER Q&A
📣 amichail

How many citations do you need to feel good about your published paper?


By feel good, I mean from an intellectual satisfaction point of view rather than what your academic institution or a funding agency would be happy with.


  👤 Beldin Accepted Answer ✓
I can't speak for others, but as someone who regularly publishes papers, I get no satisfaction from citations. I get satisfaction from impact, eg., when found bugs (published about) are fixed, when peopke are interested in my work, that sort of thing.

Citations literally are the academic equivalent of likes on social media: important if you play that game, nebulous to achieve, and not really convertible to something beyond furthering your status in the game.