Politicians and research managers erroneously believe that the scientific value of the research resides in the quantity of scientific publications and the number of quotations. Thse two grades, incidental to the scientific research, are quantified by the factor called “of impact” pushed forward by a trade company from Philadelphia-USA, namely ISI Thomson, which allegedly based its theories on a hypothetical science named “scientometrics”!
In fact ISI makes publicity commissioned by publishing houses and interested institutes of scientific research and taking advantage on this occasion, also an unrequested publicity for many researchers
By this commercial activity ISI falsifies the relevance of scientific researches, and confectionates, manipulates and distorts the public image of the researchers and of the scientific results. In developed countries, ISI, the impact factor and scientometrics are actually scarcely employed, and solely as a benchmark – and a questionable one – for effectiveness and costs in scientific research

Excerpt from Marian Apostol’s web site