The effect of publishing a highly cited paper on a journal's impact factor: A case study of the Review of Particle Physics

Abstract

Key points A more general and continuous form of ‘A short history of SHELX’ phenomenon has been found. The Review of Particle Physics (RPP) series, which is called the bible in the particle physics field, is highly cited by other research papers. The RPP phenomenon is found in different journals and is affected by the host journal's impact factor and publication size. The RPP phenomenon provides a big or small, but temporary, boost to its host journal's impact factor.