Bae Sung-Won
Reporter

Professor Jung Yun-Duk of Kookmin University
(KMU)’s College of General Education has made
the achievement of accumulating over 1,000
citations for his 20 research papers. Citation
count is used as an indicator of the quality of
research papers. The more researchers pay
attention to and use other researchers’ papers,
the higher those researchers’ citation counts rise.

According to KMU, professor Jung’s research
papers have recorded 1,000 citations over
the last four years. This is especially notable
because papers published in the field of sports
and entertainment usually have lower citation
counts.

Professor Jung has done research in sports
marketing and sports personnel organization.
In particular, he has extensively studied the
impact of spectators’ mentality and behavior
on professional sports and members of sports
organization. He has been praised for his
exquisite interaction analysis, which has often
been overlooked in previous research. Professor
Jung has also used a new paper statistics
program and previously unused analytical
method to make more innovative observations.

The results of his work have been used in
diverse domestic and foreign papers, attracting
attention in not only academia but also in the
field for high level of practical application of his
work to the sports industry.

Professor Jung earned his master’s degree in
sports management at KMU, was granted a
doctorate at Kyonggi University (KGU), and then
worked as a post-doctorate researcher at the
University of Georgia. He became a reviewer
for Social Sciences Citaton Index (SSCI) and
SCOPUS academic journals and also served
as director of public relations for the Korean
Society of Sports Policy (KSSP).

In an interview, professor Jung shared with us
how he came up with his observations on sports
management and the importance of citation
counts.

1. Hello, professor. Congratulations on your
research papers exceeding 1,000 citations in the
SSCI. How do you feel about this accomplishment?

“Regarding the citation count of our research
papers, I think this accomplishment was
made possible by my research colleagues
and fellow scholars who pay attention to my
observations. KMU’s generous support for
research and academia definitely helped as
well. This achievement is especially meaningful
given that the field of sports and entertainment
has traditionally gained lower citation counts
because of its concentration on education. And
this is just the beginning of the journey; going
forward, I will continue to produce significant
research on sports management in order to
develop KMU’s research capabilities in this
area.”

2. For THE KOOKMIN REVIEW’s readers who
are not familiar with the significance of citation
counts, could you explain about the citation of
research papers?

“The citation of research papers is the method
by which previously published papers are used
by other researchers for their papers. Many
researchers make connections between their
works and existing knowledge and increase
the objectivity and validity of their papers by
quoting other papers. In addition, citation count
is an important factor in evaluating a university’s
research capabilities. A recent university
evaluation highlighted the importance of
the quality of researchers’ papers, showing
that when a full-time professor attains a high
citation count, that professor’s university gains
greater recognition for its research.”

3. Is there any specific reason that you entered
the field of sports business administration?

“My experience in my master’s course on
sports business administration at KMU was
my reason for entering this field. After I began
my master’s degree, I took many classes and
participated in various international activities.
This led me to realize that South Korea’s sports
business administration is weaker than that of
other countries, despite the country’s image as a
sports powerhouse. So, I decided to contribute to
the development of South Korea’s sports industry,
which I believed training be more personnel and
reforming companies’ management strategies.”

4. In your research, you use a new paper
statistics program that has not been used to
increase innovational strategy. Can you explain
about this program and also tell us about some
major observations it has allowed you to make?

“When I analyze statistics on research papers,
I use a program called ‘Jamovi,’ which has not
been used in domestic academia in Korea.
‘Jamovi’ is open-source statistics software
that is easy to use and has diverse functions.
Especially, it is free, and the program’s structure
is intuitive, enabling researchers to conduct
efficient analyses. My representative paper is
about the effectiveness of food service quality in
baseball stadiums. It has already been published
in the SSCI, and it will also be introduced on the
BBC World Service, widely publicizing KMU’s
research outcomes.״

5. Your research papers’ citation count has
exceeded 1,000. Do you have any experience
with or secret methods for writing papers, and do
you have any advice for the many students who
are having difficulty preparing lectures or writing
papers?

“I believe that writing a paper requires elaborating
on behavior and effort. Putting more effort
into a paper results in a higher level of completion
and being cited in notable academic journals.
Students who are curious about their major should
read related books and articles. Also, gaining
experience and doing research beforehand are
also helpful in writing high-level papers. Lastly,
getting support from experts is also important,
so I am always open to helping students who are
having difficulty for writing a paper.”

sbae7071@kookmin.ac.kr