Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
5102552 Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications 2017 11 Pages PDF
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”.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Mathematics Mathematical Physics
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