Consistency pays off in science
Abstract
The exponentially growing number of scientific papers stimulates a discussion on the interplay between quantity and quality in science. In particular, one may wonder which publication strategy may offer more chances of success: publishing lots of papers, producing a few hit papers, or something in between. Here we tackle this question by studying the scientific portfolios of Nobel Prize laureates. A comparative analysis of different citation-based indicators of individual impact suggests that the best path to success may rely on consistently producing high-quality work. Such a pattern is especially rewarded by a new metric, the E-index, which identifies excellence better than state-of-the-art measures.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.1162/qss_a_00252
Entities
People
- Filippo Radicchi
- Santo Fortunato
- Satyaki Sikdar
- Şirag Erkol
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Army Research Office
- Indiana University
- Indiana University Bloomington