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arXiv · 2210.08440

Consistency pays off in science

Sirag Erkol·Satyaki Sikdar·Filippo Radicchi·Santo Fortunato
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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.

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Sirag Erkol, Satyaki Sikdar, Filippo Radicchi, Santo Fortunato. 2022-10-16. Consistency pays off in science. https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00252

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