The top-cited research works in the Science Citation Index Expanded

This study aimed to identify and analyze the characteristics of the top-cited articles published in the Science Citation Index Expanded from 1991 to 2010. Articles that have been cited more than 1,000 times since publication to 2010 were assessed regarding their distribution in indexed journals and categories of the Web of Science. Five bibliometric indicators were used to evaluate source institutions and countries. A new indicator, the Y-index, is proposed to assess publication quantity and the character of contribution to articles. We identify 3,652 top-cited articles with 71 % originating from US. The fourteen most productive institutions were all located in US. Science, Nature, New England Journal of Medicine, and Cell hosted the most cited publications. In addition, the Y-index was successfully applied to evaluate the publication character of authors, institutions, and countries.