Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!sri-spam!sri-unix!hplabs!cae780!tektronix!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!dickey
From: dickey@ssc-vax.UUCP (Frederick J Dickey)
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.research
Subject: Re: How many people read an average research paper?
Message-ID: <937@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Nov-86 13:40:02 EST
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.937
Posted: Tue Nov 11 13:40:02 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Nov-86 22:13:55 EST
References: <7966@watdaisy.UUCP> <2483@phri.UUCP> <236@cartan.Berkeley.EDU>
Distribution: sci
Organization: Boeing Aerospace Co., Seattle, WA
Lines: 33
Xref: mnetor sci.math:185 sci.research:24

> In article <2483@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:
> 
> >Science
> >Citation Index (put out by ISI Press, I believe; the same people who bring
> >you Current Contents)...
> >lists each year the papers which get cited the most often.  That's
> >really the only way to say "this was an important piece of work".  If more
> >people have cited your paper than any other paper, it's probably the most
> >important.
> >-- 
> >Roy Smith, {allegra,philabs}!phri!roy
> >System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute
> >455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016

I read an interesting article (in Science, I think) a few years ago that
is somwhat relevant to this discussion. My recollection of the article
follows.

It dealt with the subject of LPU's. LPU = Least Publishable Unit. Years
ago someone suggested that the number of citations of a paper might be
a way of measuring the significance of the paper. At that time, it might
have been. However, many researchers said to themselves, "WOW! I can
increase the significance of my paper if it is cited a lot. I can increase
my significance if I get lots of papers of mine cited." So these guys 
started splitting up their papers into atomic units (LPUs) so that they
could get lots of citations. They also insisted on being listed as an
co-author if they made any contribution at all to a paper, however minute.
This is why you see papers with a zillion authors. To ensure the papers
got cited, they worked out deals, "I'll cite you if you cite me." The upshot
seems to be that number of citations may reflect political rather than
technical acumen.

---f.j. dickey