https://www.jstor.org/stable/145797
Using data from three separate state university systems, we find that this variable is indeed positively and significantly related to a scholar’s pay, at least in the case of research-oriented higher education institutions. More specifically, we find that an increase in this variable is associated with a 2.8 to 8.9% boost in the salaries of college and university faculty.
1 highly cited paper equals $13,500 in the US which is a large increase from 1986.