Long live the scientists: Tracking the scientific fame of great minds in physics

TL;DR

This paper investigates the enduring scientific fame of influential physicists using digitalized books and articles, highlighting their lasting impact and cultural reputation, and proposing new altmetric tools for measuring scholarly influence.

Contribution

It demonstrates how Google Books and Ngram Viewer can be used as altmetrics to assess long-term scientific impact and cultural reputation of physicists.

Findings

Great physicists' impact persists for centuries.

Evidence of own-group fame preference in reputation.

Digital tools can enhance altmetric assessments.

Abstract

This study utilizes global digitalized books and articles to examine the scientific fame of the most influential physicists. Our research reveals that the greatest minds are gone but not forgotten. Their scientific impacts on human history have persisted for centuries. We also find evidence in support of own-group fame preference, i.e., that the scientists have greater reputations in their home countries or among scholars sharing the same languages. We argue that, when applied appropriately, Google Books and Ngram Viewer can serve as promising tools for altmetrics, providing a more comprehensive picture of the impacts scholars and their achievements have made beyond academia.