Peterson, GJ; Presse, S; Dill, KA. 2010. Nonuniversal power law scaling in the probability distribution of scientific citations. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 107 (37): 16023-16027
Eugene Garfield
garfield at CODEX.CIS.UPENN.EDU
Mon Nov 1 15:44:31 EDT 2010
Peterson, GJ; Presse, S; Dill, KA. 2010. Nonuniversal power law scaling in the
probability distribution of scientific citations. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 107 (37): 16023-
16027..
Author Full Name(s): Peterson, George J.; Presse, Steve; Dill, Ken A.
Language: English
Document Type: Article
Author Keywords: graph theory; master equation; h-index; preferential
attachment; cumulative advantage
KeyWords Plus: ZIPFS LAW; NETWORKS; FLUCTUATIONS; COMPANIES;
EVOLUTION
Abstract: We develop a model for the distribution of scientific citations. The
model involves a dual mechanism: in the direct mechanism, the author of a new
paper finds an old paper A and cites it. In the indirect mechanism, the author
of a new paper finds an old paper A only via the reference list of a newer
intermediary paper B, which has previously cited A. By comparison to citation
databases, we find that papers having few citations are cited mainly by the
direct mechanism. Papers already having many citations ("classics") are cited
mainly by the indirect mechanism. The indirect mechanism gives a power-law
tail. The "tipping point" at which a paper becomes a classic is about 25
citations for papers published in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)
Web of Science database in 1981, 31 for Physical Review D papers published
from 1975-1994, and 37 for all publications from a list of high h-index chemists
assembled in 2007. The power-law exponent is not universal. Individuals who
are highly cited have a systematically smaller exponent than individuals who are
less cited.
Addresses: [Presse, Steve; Dill, Ken A.] Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept
Pharmaceut Chem, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA; [Peterson, George J.] Univ
Calif San Francisco, Biophys Grad Grp, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
Reprint Address: Dill, KA, Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept Pharmaceut Chem, San
Francisco, CA 94158 USA.
E-mail Address: dill at maxwell.ucsf.edu
ISSN: 0027-8424
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1010757107
Fulltext: http://www.pnas.org/content/107/37/16023.abstract
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