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Thirty years onward! Citation analysis of randomized experiments on drug and mental health courts

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Abstract

Objectives

This study is meant to conduct the first known citation analysis on problem-solving courts (PSCs) using experimental designs. The use of citation analysis is meant to contribute to the experimental literature base by investigating the concept of “research quality.”

Methods

Using Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate, citation counts were performed on drug and mental health courts, excluding self-citations. The total number of citations for the experimental research was gathered, as well as a calculation of the average number of citations per year between 1989 and 2018. Additionally, a temporal analysis was conducted to demonstrate if certain citations were cited frequently initially after publication and then decayed over time.

Results

The most cited experiments were on drug courts (n = 12). Specifically, Gottfredson et al.’s (2003) randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of drug courts amassed 309 citations of Google Scholar and yielded an average of 20.6 citations per year. The same study had 184 citations on ResearchGate, with an average of 12.26 citations per year. For mental health courts (n = 3), the most cited experiment was Cosden et al.’s (2005) evaluation of a mental health court with assertive community treatment, which had 199 citations on Google Scholar and an average of 13.27 citations per year. The study had 133 citations of ResearchGate, which is an average of 8.87 citations per year.

Conclusion

The citation analysis presents an assessment of the most influential experiments regarding PSCs. The experimental research studies conducted by Gottfredson et al. (2003) and Cosden et al. (2005) were the most cited literature for drug court and mental health court, respectively, which contributes to the advancement of criminological research pertaining to PSCs.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. For a full list of search terms see Appendices 1 and 2.

  2. A CONSORT diagram was created for both drug and mental health court citations included and excluded from the present study (see Appendices 3 and 4).

  3. Citations for experiments on mental health courts are omitted since Cosden et al were the only studies and Lamberti et al. was published in 2017.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Breanna Eason for her assistance during the data collection process for this project. Also, thank you to Dr. Cody Telep for his willingness to review and provide adivce on earlier drafts of this manuscript.

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  1. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, SO 221, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA

    Lincoln B. Sloas

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Correspondence to Lincoln B. Sloas.

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Sloas, L.B. Thirty years onward! Citation analysis of randomized experiments on drug and mental health courts. J Exp Criminol 16, 171–181 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-019-09388-9

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