The Articles Most Cited in 1961-1982. 4. 100 Additional Citation Classics

Number 40 This essay is a continuation of our multipart series on the papers most cited from 1961 to 1982. Using Science Citation IndexW (SCIE'), we've previously identified 300 papersl-~ cited at least 1,188 times in this 22-year period. All of the papers we've identified to date can be considered classics in the scientific literature. That they are so frequently referenced indicates their usefulness and relevance to the research of many scientists, for whatever reasons. Certain methodology papers are highly cited because they describe elegant procedures or reliable strategies for attacking research problems. Theoretical works often achieve high impact if they inspire new experiments or when others test the hypotheses they propose. Such papers often symbolize paradigm shifts within a discipline. Timely reviews may also be frequently cited because they provide overviews of various lines of research. Reviews can summarize the consensus of scientific opinion on a given topic and simplify the task of documenting earlier research. In any event, the papers identified in these studies do not necessarily represent the " best " or most " important " research. That point bears constant repetition to prevent the mistaken impression that these studies encourage overly sim-plistic criteria for admission to the science " hall of fame. " LJnlike sports fans, who thrive on statistics about the best athletes, scientists are often reluctant to accept any quantitative indicators. But scientific research is now such a large and widespread enterprise that it October 1, 1984 is easy to lose sight of some of the highest impact achievers. Table 1 presents full bibliographic information on the 100 classics in this study. They are arranged in alphabetic order by first author. The number of 1961-1982 citations is shown, followed by 1983 citations in parentheses. Each of these papers was cited at least 1,032 times. More than 20 million papers were cited at least once during this 22-year period. Of these, only 433 are " kilo-classics " —e. e., papers that have been cited more than l,O(M) times. When books are included in these citation analyses, we'll probably find that no more than 1,000 publications are kilo-c Iassics. Asterisks indicate the 33 papers that have already been featured as Citation Classics 'M in Current Contents " (CC*). The issue, year, and edition of CC in which the author's commentary appeared are shown after the reference. The authors listed in Table 1 are invited to submit …