Science

DetlefK

(16,423 posts) Mon Oct 13, 2014, 08:33 AM Oct 2014

The renowned physicist who never existed: Stronzo Bestiale.

http://io9.com/this-widely-cited-physicist-is-a-total-asshole-he-also-1645289295
http://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.url?authorId=16456727300

According to his profile, he works at the Institute for Experimental Physics at the University of Vienna.
His work is cited by 114 other scientific papers.

Problem: He never existed.

Professor William G. Hoover tried to get a paper published. It was rejected. He changed the title and added Stronzo Bestiale (translates roughly to "giant asshole" from italian) as co-author. Now it got accepted.

One of the commenters in the article is probably right. It was purely bad luck the paper didn't get published the first time. Hoover likely simply got different referees the second time.

7 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

The renowned physicist who never existed: Stronzo Bestiale. (Original Post) DetlefK Oct 2014 OP

Haha...maybe Stronzo's H-index is high enough to earn tenure!! Sancho Oct 2014 #1

If only someone used Google translator... Historic NY Oct 2014 #2

He was made up in 1987. DetlefK Oct 2014 #3

How about Galadriel Mirkwood as a co-author...? xocet Oct 2014 #4

"And another was Galadriel Mirkwood, who was a dog." BlueJazz Oct 2014 #6

Word for word I'd call it a Beastly Shit! MADem Oct 2014 #5

Technically, it means "giant turd" :) Helen Borg Oct 2014 #7

Sancho

(9,070 posts)

1. Haha...maybe Stronzo's H-index is high enough to earn tenure!!

Reply to DetlefK (Original post)

Mon Oct 13, 2014, 09:49 AM

Oct 2014

Historic NY

(37,449 posts)

2. If only someone used Google translator...

Reply to DetlefK (Original post)

Mon Oct 13, 2014, 11:00 AM

Oct 2014

DetlefK

(16,423 posts)

3. He was made up in 1987.

Reply to Historic NY (Reply #2)

Mon Oct 13, 2014, 11:11 AM

Oct 2014

xocet

(3,871 posts)

4. How about Galadriel Mirkwood as a co-author...?

Reply to DetlefK (Original post)

Mon Oct 13, 2014, 03:31 PM

Oct 2014

Sticky Wicket
Author! Author!
Mole

...

But that isn't what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to talk about who, exactly, should be an author on a paper. I do know of two fictitious authors of biomedical papers: one was Z. Zebra, added to the end of a rather long list of authors, and another was Galadriel Mirkwood, who was a dog (hence not really fictitious I suppose), but these were in less regulated times. But mostly, I suspect, authors on a paper represent real people.

...

http://jcs.biologists.org/content/120/15/2469.short

The paper is here:

http://jem.rupress.org/content/148/1/84.full.pdf