The enrichment of the subject matter with previous analyses, connections, and conclusions regarding the same cited texts was certainly part of the attraction. More appealing, however, was the possibility of tracking the scholarly influence of oneself and others over time and across fields, and identifying the most highly cited scientists, papers, journals, and institutions.
SCI从未失去在科学界的潜力，学者们很快就接受了它——但原因并非人们所预想的。丰富的前人分析主题、联系和相同引用文献的结论显然都是吸引力的一部分。但是，更有吸引力的是有可能以此追踪自己或他人在长期和多领域的学术影响力，并找到被引用最多的科学家、论文、期刊和机构。