Citation-Based Criterion for Identifying Long-Lasting Research Papers

This work presents the development and testing of a protocol for identifying long-lasting (L-L) research papers for which citation data of at least 25 years are available. In the first step, papers having 100 or more citations are shortlisted. The time interval from the year of publication till 2019 is divided into four approximately equal quarters. The R4 parameter is defined as the ratio of the citations received by a paper in the most recent quarter to its total citations. Papers with R4 less than a prescribed cut-off value are eliminated. The trends in the citations of papers in the most recent five years are assessed next. Papers with less than a specified value of actual/extrapolated citations are omitted. For testing purpose, we have explored the citation patterns of 1,402 shortlisted papers, out of a total of 123,993 published from India between 1985 and 1994, resulting into 676 L-L papers. We find that not all papers published in high-impact journals as well as those receiving large citations fulfil the L-L criterion. Subject-wise analysis brings out the disciplines making lasting contributions to research.