The peer-reviewed literature has accepted papers on the topic of "coercive citation" (often defined as "excessive journal self-citation).

This literature is useful because of the ongoing need to clearly define what is and what isn't "coercive citation".  Please let me know if these references/sites are useful to you:

1.  Coercive Citation in Academic Publishing - College of Arts and

...

https://faculty.missouri.edu/~glaserr/3700s12/Science_Coercive_Citations_542.full.pdfFeb 3, 2012 ...

add citations to their journal. Coercive self- citation does not refer to the normal citation directions, given during a peer-review pro- cess, meant ...

2.  Coercive Citation in Academic Publishing (PDF Download Available)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221802142_Coercive_Citation_in_Academic_PublishingOne side effect of impact factors is the incentive they create for editors to coerce authors to add citations to their journal. Coercive self-citation does not refer to ...

3.  Coercive Journal Self Citations, Impact Factor, Journal Influence and ...

http://eprints.ucm.es/20289/1/1310.pdf

This paper examines the issue of coercive journal self citations and the practical usefulness of two recent journal performance metrics, namely the Eigenfactor ...

4.  Citation manipulation - Committee on Publication Ethics

http://publicationethics.org/files/u7141/Forum%20discussion%20topic_final.pdfDec 4, 2012 ...

This excessive self-citation by a journal, whereby articles are found to .... While coercive citation practices seek to improve a

Dennis

Dennis Mazur

Article Coercive Citation in Academic Publishing

Dear,

Thanks for sharing.

I have never gone through such a citation, but I consider such coercion to be unethical and totally wrong!

Regards.

Dear Emad,

I have published a lot of papers in prestigious journals in my field of expertise, developmental psychology. I was never asked to cite relevant articles from the journal to increase their citations. I think that coercive citation is at odds with a scientific practice  and is also an unethical/immoral behavior.

This is a short answer. I strongly disagree with the idea of coercive citation.

Regards,

Orlando

Yes I faced such situations many times. The journal wanted us to include  references from the same journal, and the reason they indicated for such an action is  to make sure that our manuscript is within the scope of the journal. As an author we have to obey it but I don't feel good.

The peer-reviewed literature has accepted papers on the topic of "coercive citation" (often defined as "excessive journal self-citation).

This literature is useful because of the ongoing need to clearly define what is and what isn't "coercive citation".  Please let me know if these references/sites are useful to you:

1.  Coercive Citation in Academic Publishing - College of Arts and

...

https://faculty.missouri.edu/~glaserr/3700s12/Science_Coercive_Citations_542.full.pdfFeb 3, 2012 ...

add citations to their journal. Coercive self- citation does not refer to the normal citation directions, given during a peer-review pro- cess, meant ...

2.  Coercive Citation in Academic Publishing (PDF Download Available)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221802142_Coercive_Citation_in_Academic_PublishingOne side effect of impact factors is the incentive they create for editors to coerce authors to add citations to their journal. Coercive self-citation does not refer to ...

3.  Coercive Journal Self Citations, Impact Factor, Journal Influence and ...

http://eprints.ucm.es/20289/1/1310.pdf

This paper examines the issue of coercive journal self citations and the practical usefulness of two recent journal performance metrics, namely the Eigenfactor ...

4.  Citation manipulation - Committee on Publication Ethics

http://publicationethics.org/files/u7141/Forum%20discussion%20topic_final.pdfDec 4, 2012 ...

This excessive self-citation by a journal, whereby articles are found to .... While coercive citation practices seek to improve a

Dennis

Dennis Mazur

Article Coercive Citation in Academic Publishing

I have been asked to include some articles from the journal I submit to.  I have never had specific articles required, or a specific number.

I do not consider this to be unethical.  If the journal is relevent to my subject matter, then there SHOULD be other articles in the journal that are relevant.

In fact, this is often listed as a best practice when submitting to a journal, i.e. making sure that you have some citations from the journal.

I would add articles from the journal I submit to if they are relevant to my article, but if the editor requested adding specific articles then it may be unethical

In the beginning, thank God that this practice is not in the scientific journals of our country, because it is limited spread !!!, as well as in the global journals that we correspond and publish.

I believe that  Coercive Citation is a specific non-ethical commercial practice, in which the editor asks the author to add citations to the papers published in the same magazine (self-citation) and in particular to cite papers that the author considers duplicated or irrelevant.

According to many studies it is more prevalent in some academic disciplines (economics, sociology and psychology) than others, and is primarily aimed at forcing younger researchers who have high academic grades and papers with fewer authors in order to obtain the largest impact factor. But the fact is that  Coercive Citation is a common practice in non-English-speaking countries. According to a survey of 6,700 academicians and scientists of various disciplines, 1 in 5 participants confirmed that they had been subjected to  Coercive Citation . Moreover, 86% of them considered it immoral.

I believe that  Coercive Citation  is a great example to illustrate the differences between publishers and researchers in academic journals. So these magazines must search for their reputation more than anything else.

I think this discussion is important to alert others on can happen and how to handle it in maintaining ethical practice. Thank you for bringing the issue to the forefront.

Best regards,

Debra

I was faced with such a situation. I think it is rather unethical.

Coercive citation has never reared its ugly head in my career.

If it did happen to me, I would certainly not include a gratuitous reference. Why should I force in an unfitting quotation, just to improve someone else's citation index?

However, it is common for referees to spot an uncited reference, which definitely would improve my paper. After all, no literature search is perfect, and not all synonyms can be predicted by me. Of course, such recommendations are biassed towards the authors and journals that are known and familiar to the referees.

Dear Emad,

I never face like this.

Best regards

Raid

It depends on how "coercive citation" is interpreted. One definition does not fit all instances, and the author should always check back with the editor as to the rationale of relevant suggestions. Here is an example from my professional practice. I am the editor-in-chief of a very old and prestigious international Journal (Routledge) that concerns an area of study with a very eclectic nature. The Journal is also the only one in its field that is named after the aforementioned area of study. As a result, most of the seminal papers in our field have been published here. When our reviewers recommend that any of these papers ought to be considered in the theoretical framework, the literature review, or the discussion of the manuscript, I do not consider this recommendation as "coercive citation". 

It depends. If the suggested - do not forget, these are suggestions; you can either accept or reject - papers are relevant, it rather helps than pushes. It is normal that the experts of the area get the paper for reviewing it, and usually they have relevant papers, and certainly, they know their papers relevance the most.

The responsibility for being ethical shared among the reviewers, authors and editors.

Dear Emad 

Hello 

Sir, if it used for the purpose of unique maybe it's okay otherwise it's unethical

Best Regards 

Dear Emad,

This is a very good topic of discussion, some journals want to increase their impact factor by increasing their number of citations we can accept it because, one day, they will do the same with our article, but what I don't see logic, when the reviewer sends us his articles  away from subject matter to citing them.

It happened to me a bizarre situation, the reviewer sent some articles to cite them, after the editor asked me to delete them.

Hello Emad,

I faced this few times, but in many cases, I think they are only suggestion to improve the paper. good journals normally do not do that as they have stable robust reputation dont need beg for citation. 

I agree with the previous comment "I faced this few times, but in many cases, I think they are only suggestions to improve the paper". In fact, referees are expert in the field of the submitted manuscript and can suggest to cite very relevant papers. If the suggestions come from the editor, it might be different (in that case, the editor wants to improve citations of papers published in his/her journal and therefore increasing the impact factor of his/her journal).

I don' find it ethical. Yet, I didn't face such a case.

Dear Dr.Orlando M Lourenço

Bright comment(s) as usual sir, but do you think that some times this behavior may help beginners in research field? Or it may be represents a correction of how to select more specific and related papers!? Otherwise it is utterly un-ethical behavior. I do agree with you.

Accept highest respect.

Yours, Emad

Dear Dr.Dennis Mazur ,

Thanks a lot for sharing this scientific fortune and for your unlimited kind support. Do you think sir that coercive citation is other coin face of self-citation?

Warm personal regards, Sir

Sincerely yours, Emad

Dear Brother Dr.Raid M. Al-Ani

Thank you sir for your point of view, hope you not to face such (citation) in future.

Regards, Emad

You are welcome our colleague Dr.Maria D. Avgerinou, (editor-in-chief) sir, you are right in your opinion, but I think that, this rejected (citation) is not representing a common or public phenomenon in all journals, I am also editor-in-chief in specific engineering journals, and some of supervisors imposes their students to do so, just for increasing their citation and then h-index. Anyway, your comment is highly appreciated and respected sir.

Warm regards, Emad

That's right dear Dr.Robert Istvan Radics, I strongly recommend your impressive statement "The responsibility for being ethical shared among the reviewers, authors and editors."

Thanks and regards Sir

Emad from Babylon

Dear active colleague dear Dr.Asaad Ali Karam,

Thanks a lot for your comment, please could you explain your kind statement "if it used for the purpose of unique maybe it's okay", really I did not well understood it!

Thanks again my friend,

Emad

Really nice comment, but do you think that indexed and trusted journals are/were doing such behavior? I think NO! but it may be existed in the so called predatory journals only? Right? By the way I am asking in relation with the sentence " when the reviewer sends us his articles away from subject matter to cite them!".

Please my colleague accept my highest respect.

Emad

Wonderful post dear Dr.Amin Shavandi, That is what I am asking about. Thank you very much for sharing your previous situation.

Warm personal regards, Emad

Thanks a lot for your kind support dear Dr. Jean-François Hocquette .

Regards, Emad

Dear Dr.Arwa Abdulrasoul Salman ,

Thank you so much for your point of view, hope you not to face such kind of rejected (citation) in future.

Regards, Emad

Dear all,

As the previous answers show the coercitive citation is a polemic issue. Even so, most of us judged it to be an unethical practice. As I see it, the more prestigious Journals are the less they ask for citations of the focal journal. From my experience as an author I was never asked to cite the focal journal in my manuscripts, and, as a reviewer, I never asked authors to to this. On several occasions, however, I have been asked, as an author, to cite relevant papers on the topic at hand, Some suggestions point to the focal journal, but I do not consider that this is coercive citation. I did and do the same as a reviewer. I have also knew of anonymous reviewers to manuscipts' authors, not to me because we both were reviewers, who ask of manuscripts' authors to cite their work as reviewers. This, however, is not coercive citation, mainly if these citations refer to relevant work on the topic and hand, Needless to say, when I submit a paper to a certain journal, I generally refers to some papers published in the focal journal. So, it is wise, but not mandatory, to cite the Journal wherein we want our manuscripts to be published.

 Best regards

Orlando

Dear Respected Dr. Koen Van Waerebeek ,

Really I am so grateful for your kind and important comment, surly we are all as a researchers will support you idea and avoid such un-ethical (citation) not only in Latin America but in our countries and universities.

Accept my highest respect,

Emad from Babylon

Thanks a gain dear Dr.Orlando M Lourenço  for sharing your personal point of view.

Warm personal regards, Emad

I strongly agree with your comment dear Dr.Debra Sharon Ferdinand-James , and up-voted your idea.

Thank you so much for your kind participation.

Regards, Emad

Recommended post dear Dr. Isam especially your statement "I believe that  Coercive Citation  is a great example to illustrate the differences between publishers and researchers in academic journals. So these magazines must search for their reputation more than anything else."

Accept my highest respect.

Regards, Emad

It happens some times where the reviewer suggests some papers to cite. Actually, in my case, it was not compulsory and I cite only those are relevant.

Dear Respected Prof. Ian Kennedy , Sir

You impressive comment is enriching our session, thank you so much for your kind support.

Thanks and regards, Emad

Dear our colleague Dr.Gomaa A. M. Ali, Sir

I totally respect your strategy in how to either cite or not based on your estimation. I am up-voting your comment.

Accept my highest respect sir,

Emad

In your scientific publications Do you face coercive citation?

Yes I did face coercive citation requests from certain reviewers during my manuscripts submission (I managed to know the blind reviewers after some investigations).  However, I did review their articles / research works as part of my additional literature review - at the end some I did cite but some I didn't.

Very best decision dear Dr.Han Ping Fung, and recommended plan embedded in your sentence " I did review their articles / research works as part of my additional literature review - at the end some I did cite but some I didn't.", thank you so much for your kind participation.

Regards, Emad

This is unscientific practice!!

Yes, only once an editor ask me for such Citation. For me it is not ethical.

Well, maybe it was not coercive. Maybe the editor has missed those citations in the article or thought they could improve the scientific discussion. Or maybe it was something new and important for some reason.

Just to improve the journal's citation does not sound ethic but maybe it is business ethics. In many cases if you do not cite a relevant number of articles of the journal in which you want to publish the reviewers give it back to you with the order "references must be improved" or "poor references list".

But let's be honest. We all know that scientific journals are less scientific than economical. A scientific journal is an enterprise. It does not make science it makes business. They sell our articles. And so, if they think you must cite a certain number of articles that they already published I think it is business and that's what they do.

If the article is poor of references, it's normal editor do it.

But if the editor specify how articles you need to put, it is unethical to me.

But as Jorge said, scientific journals are companies. So they need to do bussiness...

Thus is an important academic issue. It's not healthy academically to impose particular papers to be cited by authors.

Dear colleagues Dr. Emad and Dr. Dickson,

Till this moment I will never faced this request which is truly unethical, illegal, and unsocial issues.

Best regards,

Naseer Almukhtar

Interested

in some times

No journal asked me that..

Dear Dr Emad

I have not come near such encounter. It is totally unethical.

regards

Interested question

I agree with Dr. Lamia Al-Naama

No, I have never faced such a situation in my academic career.

Recently I was asked to cite irrelevant papers by one of the reviewer, but I plainly rejected his advice, the same was also got accepted by the chief editor (Renowned journal Elsevier publication, Impact factor = 10) . This problem was also faced by me in 2016 (Scopus Indexed journal) that was also rejected by me.