Recollections of Irving H. Sher 1924–1996: Polymath/information scientist extraordinaire

Over a 35-year period, Irving H. Sher played a critical role in the development and implementation of the Science Citation Index® and other ISI® products. Trained as a biochemist, statistician, and linguist, Sher brought a unique combination of talents to ISI as Director of Quality Control and Director of Research and Development. His talents as a teacher and mentor evoked loyalty. He was a particularly inventive but self-taught programmer. In addition to the SCI,® Social Sciences Citation Index,® and Arts and Humanities Citation Index,® Sher was involved with the development of the first commercial SDI system, the Automatic Subject Citation Alert, now called Research Alert,® and Request-A-Print Cards. Together we developed the journal impact factor and the Journal Citation Reports.® Sher was also the inventor of the SYSTABAR System of coding references and Sherhand. He was involved in key reports on citation-based historiography, forecasting Nobel prizes, and served as a referee for JASIS over a 20-year period.