We surveyed 261 readers to find out if they regularly check citations to the papers they have written and whether they think that citations are important. More than 70% of respondents check citations to their papers in ISI's Science Citation Index or Web of Science, with 40% checking more than once per year, and over 20% checking more than once per quarter. The average interval between checks is about nine months.
Over 65% of respondents consider it important or very important that their work is cited by others. More than 80 comments from respondents on their attitudes to citation of their work showed a wide range, from "I don't worry about it" to "Any scientist who tells you they don't care if they get cited is probably lying, even if only to themselves."
