  Citations are often used as a metric of the impact of scientific
publications. Here, we examine how the number of downloads from Sci-hub as well
as various characteristics of publications and their authors predicts future
citations. Using data from 12 leading journals in economics, consumer research,
neuroscience, and multidisciplinary research, we found that articles downloaded
from Sci-hub were cited 1.72 times more than papers not downloaded from Sci-hub
and that the number of downloads from Sci-hub was a robust predictor of future
citations. Among other characteristics of publications, the number of figures
in a manuscript consistently predicts its future citations. The results suggest
that limited access to publications may limit some scientific research from
achieving its full impact.
