  The availability of a number of databases, in particular the Science Citation
Index (SCI), have encouraged the development and use of bibliometric techniques
to analyze and evaluate the production and impact of scientists. To avoid
pitfalls and their sometimes serious consequences, however, considerable
experience with the method is needed. The case of George Placzek appears as an
excellent one to illustrate the procedure and its problems. Placzeks work
covered a broad range of topics, including optical and neutron spectroscopy,
neutron diffusion, nuclear reactions, and nuclear energy. He worked in a large
number of places with some of the most outstanding collaborators and also as
sole author during his short professional life. His publications appeared in
regular, so-called source journals, in books, lecture notes and also internal
reports which were classified till several years after the end of the war. In
this article we analyze Placzeks work and its impact with the aim of
illustrating the power and virtues of bibliometric techniques and their
pitfalls.
