The citation indicators of the research papers, published in a random issue of the journal Scientometrics, are analyzed. These papers, published at the same date, can be correctly ranked according to the citations accumulated by May 1, 2021. A significant variation in the citation of the papers was found. The article analyzes both the subject matter and structure of the leading papers, papers from the middle group, as well as papers from the outsider group. It is shown that the largest citation values are achieved by the papers dealing with gender issues in science, the development of methods for processing large amounts of scientific information, as well as issues of publication and publishing policy. The relationship between citation and demand for articles is investigated.
research papers; hot topics; request to access paper.