Having your work mentioned in somebody else's research is an important way for scholars to build their academic reputations. Citing others' work is also important to the credibility of new research. But what happens if a researcher makes a citation in order to point out flaws or weaknesses in a previous study? Nicola Lacetera, an associate professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto Mississauga says that negative citations are not necessarily a bad thing and that tracking those citations can reveal where there is particular "vitality" in a research area, especially when there is controversy among scientists active in it. "On the one hand, it might be that a particular study is just of poor quality and reliability. On the other hand, maybe it is good science that can be improved and so criticisms are more constructive. That's the way science evolves and becomes better." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/uotr-nci022316.php Journal article: http://www.pnas.org/content/112/45/13823.abstract
