Description
Check a citation year lag against a closed supplied window.
Bibliographic records connect authors, versions, publication dates and locators through explicit identifiers. Literal comparisons and counts help reconcile those records but do not retrieve publications, authenticate sources or establish the quality or meaning of a citation.
Check a citation year lag against a closed supplied window.
When to use this tool
Use Journal Citation Window Boundary Check when checking the stated bibliographic record, locator, date or counting convention.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter citingYear, citedYear, earliestLag, latestLag. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read lag, included. Inspect included before interpreting the associated values.
Check a citation year lag against a closed supplied window. Require whole 0 <= earliestLag <= latestLag; lag = citingYear-citedYear, included requires both endpoint comparisons.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| citingYear | Citing Year | Required. Safe integer. |
| citedYear | Cited Year | Required. Safe integer. |
| earliestLag | Earliest Lag | Required. Safe integer; minimum 0. |
| latestLag | Latest Lag | Required. Safe integer. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| lag | Lag | Required. Safe integer. |
| included | Included | Required. Boolean. |
{
"input": {
"citingYear": 2026,
"citedYear": 2024,
"earliestLag": 1,
"latestLag": 2
},
"output": {
"lag": 2,
"included": true
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- The reporting window is supplied; actual dates, citation relevance and field-normalized impact are not assessed.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Inspect the original publications and authoritative metadata, and use complete identifier-aware reference management for scholarly attribution and evidence appraisal.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Citation Window Exposure Length
Return publication exposure within a supplied citation window.
- Citation Age Zero Window Token
Check citation eligibility at a zero-age window boundary.