Abstract
When scientists publish their results they wonder whether their papers will be remembered for many years, as some are, or quickly forgotten. Here we show why the average lifetimes of papers in various scientific disciplines differ so much. We find that both the length of the paper and the speed of growth of the field are crucial in determining the duration and number of citations it receives.
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References
Abt, H. A. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacif. 108, 1059–1061 (1996).
Abt, H. A. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacif. 99, 1329–1332 (1987).
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Abt, H. Why some papers have long citation lifetimes. Nature 395, 756–757 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/27355
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/27355
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