Dr Jenny Brine
Subject Librarian, Health and Medicine
Lancaster University Library
Bailrigg
Lancaster
LA1 4YH
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01524 - 592545
-----Original Message-----
From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Reinhard Wentz
Sent: 24 August 2007 07:34
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Citation Variants
Dear All,
As a footnote to the recent discussion on 'largely made up citations'
one may
mention the most frequently cited paper in science:
Lowry, O. H., et al. (1951) Protein Measurement with the Folin Phenol
Reagent
J. Biol. Chem. 193, 265-275 http://www.jbc.org/cgi/reprint/193/1/265
which has been cited more then 270,000 times
http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/280/28/e25#FIG1
Including the citation variants (= incorrect citations) the cited
references
fill 14 pages on WoS, with several variants achieving 500+ cites, some
neatly
arranged in a kind of Gaussian normal distribution around the correct
citation,
for which WoS modestly suggests there are >65,000 citations*. The most
common
error are inverted volume and page numbers: there are 1,300 citations
indicating that the paper starts on page 256, an article starting on
page 275
received 1,900 cites.
The publication years, as cited, range from at least 1941 to 1971. Some
researchers think the author was Dowry, Lowy, Lory; there is a C Laury
with one
cite (OH Laury has six). OH Lorry has a cite as well. There are
imaginative
variations on his initials, with AH Lowry getting 40+ cites, the more
probable
DH Lowry 900+. Sadly, no LS Lowry. References to non-existing journals
such as
Biol Chem abound. One author places the article in 'Nature': correct
year, but
wrong initials: UK Lowry - Lowry was definitely American!
With kind regards,
Reinhard Wentz, Dipl. Bibl.
UCL Cruciform Library
London
* Google Scholar knows about 60,300 citations, not counting variants.
One of the
latter, referring to a non-existing 'Fohn Phenol Reagent' gets 410
cites.
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