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Nefarious-Numbers.pdf

Before myretirement in 2001, I have never heard of Impact factor and H-index inscholarly life and only vaguely aware of SCI. In fact to this date, thesepseudo-quantitative measurements of scholarly fame and achievement are stillregarded with suspicion and not often used in evaluation (see http://bbs.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=1565&do=blog&id=30274) in the western world. However, in China and because of the emphasis onquantitative measures of achievement (as replacement for the only workable butnot perfect system of “PEER REVIEW”), these numbers have taken on god-likestatus and materially determine the reputation and financial well-being of ascholar. Given such incentive, it is understandable that people will useillegal and/or legal but unethical means to boost their quantitative measures. Plagiarizingpapers and falsifying data in experiments are well known deviant behaviors. However,using legally permissible but rather unsavory means for the sole purpose of improvingthe impact factor of a journal and the H-index of a person were news to me. TheMarch 2011 issue of the Notices of the American Mathematic Society carried adetail report about how one person were able to do these feats and createincredible high impact factors that are way higher than the best journals inthe world and H-index surpassing many Nobel prize winners. The report isattached here (I thank Professor Ron Chen of the City University of Hong Kongfor bringing this to my attention.)