The disaster of the Nazi-power in science as reflected by some leading journals and scientists in physics - A bibliometric study

Abstract

The consequences of the Nazi-power for the scientific process are described qualitatively in various articles and books. However, recent progress in information systems allows a quantitative reflection. Literature databases ranging back to the beginning of the 20th century, the ISI citation indexes ranging back to 1945 now and sophisticated search systems are suitable tools for this purpose. In this study the overall break in the scientific productivity and that of selected physical journals are examined. An overview of the citation impact of some 50 leading physicists is given. The productivity before and after departure is analyzed and connected to biographical data.