Non-indexed eponymical citedness. II. Some previous exploratory tests

Abstract

In this second study of his publication series concerning the literature phenomenon marked in the main title, the author reports on tests carried out before his wide-ranging systematical investigation, tests which led to consequences modifying his research method. The directed tests form a closed chain and their results constitute a continuous row of evidence meaning the same. The tests indicate that this literature phenomenon existed even in the era of Little Science and it exisls in the journal literature of physics in the Big Science. The results show that the phenomenon is not rare ralher most frequent: the mass of the non-indexed, but really existtng eponymical author citations is not unimportant, on the contrary, it is very important compared lo the stock of index cited works. The tesis pointed out that not "the work of a handful of scientists" rather the work of several hundreds of physicisls "achieves this status" that, in connection with it, "explicit citation is not considered necessary". The tests indicate that eminent author scientists of non-indexedly cited eponymical scienlífic achievements "generally" do not "receive very heavy (indexed) citations anyway".
These results of the previous exploratory tests contradict unanimously and definitely the relevant and unproved heteronymous opinions quoted above of two science-sociometrologists, Cole and Cole, whose opinions sérve as methodological ground lo their indexed author "citation analysis" study in the depressing literature case of the so-called but false "Ortega Hypothcsis".
The results of the previous exploralory tests give information in advance on the prospective results of the future wide-ranging systematical investigation and they qualify, also from the viewpoint of non-indexed eponymical citedness, as a misuse the use of citation indexes' data with the purpose of scientific evaluation — especially the use of the data in order to evaluate authors as scientists.