Library Help: Office For Open Research

What is a 'Hot Paper'?

A Hot Paper is a designation given by Clarivate to publications that have received a sudden surge in citations within a very short time frame. These papers typically show a rapid rise in citation counts compared to the norm for their field, indicating that the research has generated a lot of immediate attention and interest in the scientific community. The Hot Paper status is usually given to papers published in the last two years.

Hot Papers are typically innovative, groundbreaking studies or papers on emerging trends or pressing issues that attract a high volume of attention from researchers, practitioners, or policymakers. Many Hot Papers will also receive the Highly Cited Paper designation.

Why is the 'Hot Paper' designation important?

1. Current Relevance: Hot Papers highlight research that is currently gaining significant attention, often due to emerging trends, breakthroughs, or high-profile issues in the scientific world.

2. Sign of Emerging Impact: Being designated as a Hot Paper signals that the research is having an immediate impact on its field. It can indicate that the paper is influencing current debates, attracting follow-up studies, or is being incorporated into new lines of research.

3. Visibility and Media Attention: Hot Papers often attract media coverage and may be cited in high-profile publications, conference talks, or even by policymakers. This boosts both the visibility of the researcher and the impact of their work.

4. Benchmarking: For researchers, tracking Hot Papers helps identify areas of active research and emerging topics within their field. It can also be a useful tool for identifying the next major breakthroughs.

How Are Hot Papers Determined?

Hot Papers are identified by Clarivate through Web of Science’s citation data. A paper is flagged as a Hot Paper if it shows a significant increase in citation frequency compared to others in the same subject area and publication year. These papers tend to receive rapid citations within a short period, usually in the first 2 years after publication.

Unlike Highly Cited Papers, which are determined based on total citations over time, Hot Papers are about a paper’s immediate impact, making them an important early indicator of potentially influential research.

Platforms for 'Hot Paper' designation

1. Web of Science:
   • Web of Science is the main platform for identifying Hot Papers. It provides a real-time overview of citation data and the ability to track papers that are rising quickly in citation counts.
2. InCites:
   • InCites can also be used to track Hot Papers by looking at citation metrics across various fields. InCites offers tools for evaluating research trends and identifying papers with sudden spikes in citations.

How to Find Hot Papers in Web of Science

To find Hot Papers in Web of Science, follow these steps:

1. Search for Your Paper:

   • Acess Web of Science using the link available within Library Search
   • Use the search feature to find the paper by title, DOI, or author.
      

2. Review Citation Information:

   • Once you’ve found the paper, Web of Science will indicate if it has been designated as a Hot Paper in the citation overview section.
      

3. Explore Hot Paper Lists:

   • You can explore curated lists of Hot Papers on Web of Science by looking at the Hot Papers section, which highlights the papers with the highest citation growth in the last two years.