Delayed Recognition in Science: Different Causes of Sleeping and Awakening of Discoveries

Nowadays, innovation and translational research concepts are commonly used in science policies. They often refer to the need to contribute to the diffusion of new scientific knowledge toward socio-economic impact. However, novelty is not exclusively related to discoveries: work can remain ignored for a long time, before being recognized (Cole S. 1970). This phenomenon of late recognition is gaining renewed interest with the scientometrics...