The status of the journal is quantified in terms of its citation index, based on how many of the papers in it are cited in other publications, and on its impact factor, based on the yearly average number of citations received by recent articles in the journal. These methods of measuring scientific achievement are called bibliometrics. This system creates strong incentives for scientists to publish papers with positive results and striking conclusions. Journals themselves have a similar incentive to publish papers with a high impact. One effect of this system is to encourage and reward the
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