The paper in question, by Yuejin Guo, Jean-Marc Langlois, and William A. Goddard of the California Institute of Technology ("Electronic structure and valence-bond band structure of cuprate superconducting materials," Science, volume 239, number 4842, pages 896-9, 19 February 1988), Collman noted, "has been roundly criticized, [which] perhaps accounts for the extensive citation." He asserted that "excessive citation of a scientific article may not be a commendation, but rather a condemnation."
Perhaps we have not made it clear enough what the Hot Papers section represents. We identify a paper as "hot" after we have determined that it has received many more citations than others of the same type (in this case, others in condensed-matter physics) and of the same age. By designating a paper as hot, we are making no qualitative judgment on it. Rather, we are merely noting that a particular paper has been frequently discussed in the recent literature. ...
