Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5102552 | Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications | 2017 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
A publication that reports a breakthrough discovery in a particular scientific field is referred to as a “black swan”, and the most highly-cited papers previously published in the same field “white swans”. Important scientific progress occurs when “white swans” meet a “black swan”, and the citation patterns of the “white swans” change. This metaphor combines scientific discoveries and scientometric data and suggests that breakthrough scientific discoveries are either “black swans” or “grey-black swans”.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Mathematics
Mathematical Physics
Authors
Carl J. Zeng, Eric P. Qi, Simon S. Li, H. Eugene Stanley, Fred Y. Ye,