I go on the cite rant now and then again. It isn't so much for the attribution itself, but that it breaks the knowledge graph. By not citing past or similar work, these researchers prevent others from learning, exploring and ingesting knowledge from a field.

A few of the ideas at play here are:

    * Wanting to appear more cutting edge than is actually the case
    * Limiting or strengthening patent applicability
    * Preventing loss of focus via competitors research

I think researchers should actually get penalized for having a deficient bib.