Scientific Publications: Moving beyond Quality and Quantity toward Influence

摘要

A debate continues on the relative importance of quality and quantity in scientific publication. Recent published correspondence (Fischer et al. 2012) heralds a movement to reemphasize quality research over quantity. Although we certainly agree with the call for quality, decrying quantity likewise poses a trade-off that may ultimately be undesirable for fostering an impactful body of research and advancing science. Instead, we argue for an integrated view of scientific contributions that incorporates elements of both quality and quantity. We describe this view as influence.