There are indeed citation indexes which are used to 'score' papers when they are cited, one such being the Science Citation Index, a subscription service availa

There are indeed citation indexes which are used to 'score' papers when they are cited, one such being the Science Citation Index, a subscription service available to many members of universities. http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/science/free/essays/history_of_citation_indexing/ http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/science/free/ess... There are issues with citation indexes, bias towards early publication &c. My comment was directed more at the 'paper mill' and the 'minimum publishable result' tendency in some areas of science!