Were the 1972 Papers Most Cited in 1972 the Most Significant? [ 1 Number 42 October 17, 1973 At least a million papers were prJb- small that an average paper published lished in scientific and technical jour- in the latter half of the year will be nals in 1972. lS1@ covered about half cited the same year. What then would of them in its various services. Each be your estimate of the probability and every paper must have sewed a use- that anything but a significant 1972 pa- ful purpose for someone--for its au- per would be cited 18 or more times thors, for at least a few readers, and for the same year? The answer is 1 out of the editor or journal that published it. 20,000. [n other words, only 25 papers But by no stretch of the imagination made it, Looking at it another way, any can even 10% of those million papers paper that is cited about once each be regarded as “significant.” How then month after it is published is bound to can one identify by some straightfor- be interesting. And the rate will in- ward, fast and apolitical method those crease in time if it is a candidate for that are significant? Polling the mem- classical status. berships of our professional societies The 25 highly cited 1972 papers arc would be hopelessly slow and costly. listed on page 7. All of thcm were pub- Using award committees is certainly Iishcd during the first half of the year-- “political”. the latest in May. About two-thirds of The “average” paper is cited about thcm appeared during the first quarter 1.7 times during any calendar year after of the year. The journal issues in which its publication.1 The average paper will they were published also were de/iuered probably not even be cited once during during the first half of the year. onc the calendar year it’s published. If pub- should not rely entirely on cover dates lished in January, it obviously stands a in this sort of analysis. However, such better chance of being cited the same kcy papers almost invariably appear year than if published in December. in journals with prompt publication schcdulcs. Similarly, if published any time during the first half of the year, it has a much Much has been said about why peo- better chance of being cited that same ple cite onc another. Admitting that year than a paper published during the there arc other reasons besides the basic second half. purpose of acknowledging prcccdcnts Considering the time it takes to pre- and subject relationships, can onc fail pare and publish a paper, it can be safe- to appreciate their quantitative signifi- ly assumed that the probability is quite cance? The papers Iistcd below have 491 shown an extraordinary frequency and ]apers 16 and 25 are discounted. immediacy of citation. In two instances, Dozens of award committees will (the 16th and 25th papers in the list), meet to select the best paper in this the high citation may be wholly x that field. Other factors besides cita- an .irtcfdct of the circumstances of tion frequency will be at work in their publication--they were kcy papers in a selection--intuition, special knowledge, special symposium issue of a journal, politics, etc. But I am relatively con- and all of the citations to thcm were fident that the papers listed below, and made by other articles in the same many others we could similarly identi- issue--a special form of self-c itation2. fy, selected solely on their citation re- In listing these 25 papers, I don’t cords, ought to be on the lists of those claim that their authors arc obvious considered. If there is any doubt about candidates for Nobel, Lasker and Pricst- the “lasting” quality of these papers, Iy awards. I do assert, however, that we can refer to the first six months of anyone asked to compile a list of the the Science Citation fnclexa for 1973. 25 most interesting, thought-provok- [n over 7S% of the cases, citation rates ing, stimulating, seminal, important, will increase significantly thereby giving that is, sipri~ic~nt papers of 1972 would some measure of the research activity be hard-pressed to come up with a involved. better list. If you polled the member- 1. Garfield, E. Citation analysis as a ship of the National Academy of Sci- tool in journal evaluation. Science ences, would their choices be much dif- 178:471-79, 1972. ferent, and if so, would they be more 2. Not surprisingly these papers have vafid? not been heavily cited in 1973. Keep in mind that these 25 papers 3. Garfield, E. Citation-indexing, his- are the 1972 papers most cited in 1972. torio-bibliography, and the sociology (In a subsequent analysis we will also of science. In: Proc, 3rd lnternat. list 1972 papers most cited in 1973, to Congress of Medical Librarianship, account for papers published later in Amsterdam, 5-9 May 1969, ed. by 1972!) Disregarding year of publication, K.E. Davis & W.D. Sweeney (Am- the papers most cited in 1972 remain sterdam: Excerpts Medics, 1970) primarily a group of ‘super-cited’ older pp. 187-204. Reprinted in: Current classics that I have listed elsewhere. Contents” No. 15, 14 April 1971, Eleven of the 25 papers listed are from p. M24-41. the physical sciences–almost 5~o if 492 Times Cited ----- ----- -.--—--——— -..._—- Rank m“ ‘---1Y7Z 1Y7Z FAFEKS MWS1- CITEL) IN 1972 1. 54 Singer, S.J. & Nico)son, G.L. The tluid mossic model of the structure of cell mem- branes. Science 175(4023):720-31, 18 Febmacy 1972. 2. 31 Lee, B.W. Renormelizable massive vector meson theory; perturbation theory of she Hi gs phenomenon. Physical Review D 5(4):823-35, 15 February 1972. 3. 29 Scf“reler, E., Levinson, R., Gursk , H., Kellogg, E., Tananbaum, H.& Giacconi, R. Evidence for the binary nature o [ Centaurus X-3 from Uhurrs x-ray observations. Astrophysical Joumal 172 (3/2 ): L79-89, 15 March 1972. 4. 28 Danzlger, R. G., Hofmsnn, A. F., Schoenfield, L.J, & llsistle, J.L, Dissolution of cholesterol gallstones by chcnodeoxycholic acid. New Engfand Journal of Afedicirre 286(1): 1-8, 6 January 1972. 5. 27 Lai, M.C.M. & Duesberg, P.H. Adenylic acid-rich sequence in RNAs of Rous sarcoma virus and Rauscher mouse leukaemia virus. Nature 235(5338):383-6, 18 February 1972. 6. 26 Bertin, A., Cspiluppi. P., Cristakfini, A., D’Agostino-Bmno, M., Ellis, R.J., Giacomefli, G., Maroni, C., Mercatali, F., Rossi, A.M. & Vannini, G. Negative particle production at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings. Physics Letters B 38 B(4):260-4, 21 February 1972. 7. 25 Benacerraf, B. & McDevitt, H.O. Histocompatibility -linked immune response genes, Science 175(4019):273-9, 21 January 1972. 8. 25 Webster, B.L. & Murdin, P. Cygnus X-1; a spectroscopic binary with a heavy com- psnion? Nature 235(5332 ]:37-8, 7 January 1972. 9. 24 Renwick, J.H. Hypothesis: anence haly and spina bifida zre usually preventable by avoidance ofa specific but umc1entltied substance present in certain potato tubers. British Journal ojpreuerrtive & Social Medicine 26(2):67-88, May 1972. 10. 23 Olah, G.A. The genersl concept and structure of carbonations based on differentiiw tion of trivalent (“classical”) carbenium ions from three-center bound penta- or tetracoordinsted (“non-classical” carbonium ions; the role of carbonations in electrophific reactions. Joumd o) the American Chemical Society 94(3):808-20, 9 February 1972. 11. 23 Wilson, K.G. & Fisher, M.E. Critical exponents in 3.99 dimensions. Physical Review Letters 28(4): 240-3, 24 January 1972. 12. 22 Nossd: G.J,V., Warner, N. L., Lewis, H. & Sprent, J, Quantitative features of a aandwtch radloimmunolabeling technique for lymphocyte surface receptors. ]orssnd o~Ex erirrrental Medicine 135(2): 405-28, 1 February 1972. 13. 21 Gillespie, D., ~arshaU,S. & Gallo, R.C. RNA of RNA mrnour viruacs contains Poly A. Nature New Biolofy 236(69): 227-31, 26 April 1972. 14. 21 Ross, J., Haim, A., Scolnick, E. & Leder, P. In vitro synthesis of DNA comple- mentary m urified rabbit globin m RNA. Proc. Nat. A cad Sci. USA 69(1): 264-8, Jsnusry 19 f 2. 15. 21 Wickner, W., Bmtlag, D., Schekman, R & Kornberg, A. Synthesis initiates in vitro conversion Ml 3 DNA to its replicative form. Proc, Nat. A cad. Sci USA 69(4):965-9, April 1972. 16. 20 Blanchi, C., Lumachi, B. & Msrazzi-Uberti, E. Pharmacological investigations of .t-prenyl-1, 2-diphenyl-3, S-pyrazolidinedione (DA 2370). 1. Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties. Arzneimittel~orsch ung 22( 1a): 183-91, January 1972. 17. 20 Gerber, P. Activation of Epstein-Barr virus by 5-bromodeox yuridine in “virux. free” human cells. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 69(1):83-5, January 1972. 18. 20 Jacob, M.& SIansky, R. Nova model of inclusive reactions. Physical Review D 5(7): 1847-70, 1 April 1972. 19. 20 Sheldon, R. Jurele, C. & Kates, J. Detection of polyadenylic acid sequences in viral and eukaryotic RNA. Proc. Nat. A cad Sci. USA 69(2):41 7-21, February 1972. 20. 20 Wilson, K.G. Fe ynmas-graph ex panaion for critical exponents. Physical Review Letters 28(9):548-51, 28 Febmsry 1972. 21. 19 Bolton, C.T. Identification of Cygnus X-1 with HDE 226868. Nature 235(5336): 271-3, 4 Februa 1972. 22. 19 Frazer, W.R., Ing7 er, L., Mehta, C. H., Poorr, C. H., Sifvermarr. D., Stowe, K., Tin , P.