Abstract
The study presented here analyzed the contents of 36 international infectious diseases journals from 1991 to 2001 to determine the number of reports prepared by authors in the European Union and to compare the per country scientific productivity. Articles included in the study were identified using the PubMed website. The number of publications in infectious disease journals produced by authors in the European Union experienced an exponential growth from 461 (19.2% of world production) in 1991 to 2,401 (35.9%) in 2001. The mean impact factor increased from 2.259 in 1991 to 3.001 in 2001. The leading countries in the total number of publications were the UK, France, and Germany. After taking population figures into account, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland headed the list, and after correcting for gross domestic product, the greatest producers were Sweden, Finland, and the UK. Overall, the scientific production and repercussion index of European Union research on infectious diseases experienced a notable rise during the last decade of the 20th century.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
García-Rio F, Serrano S, Dorgham A, Alvarez-Sala R, Ruiz Peña A, Pino JM, Alvarez-Sala JL, Villamor J (2001) A blibliometric evaluation of European Union research of the respiratory system from 1987–1998. Eur Respir J 17:1175–1180
Lewison G (1998) Gastroenterology research in the United Kingdom: funding source and impact. Gut 43:288–293
Hebertz H, Müller-Hill B (1995) Quality and efficiency of basic research in molecular biology. A bibliometric analysis of 13 excellent research institutes. Res Pol 24:959–979
Trilla A, Aymerich M, Giol M, Carné X, Asenjo MA, Rodés J (2000) Análisis comparativo de las publicaciones realizadas por autores españoles (1993–1997) en revistas clínicas con factor de impacto elevado. Med Clin (Barc) 114:609–613
Moed HF, Bruin RE de, Nederhof AJ, Raan AFJ van, Tijssen RJW (1992) State of art of bibliometric macroindicators. An overview of demand and supply. Commission of the European Community. European Community Official Publication Office, Luxembourg
Bordons M, Zulueta MA (1999) Evaluación de la actividad científica a través de indicadores bibliométricos. Rev Esp Cardiol 52:790–800
Stossel TP, Stossel SC (1999) Declining American representation in leading clinical-research journal. N Engl J Med 322:739–742
Hefler L, Templfer C, Kainz C (1999) Geography of biomedical publications in the European Union, 1990–98. Lancet 353:1856
Mela GS, Cimmino MA, Ugolini D (1999) Impact assessment of oncology research in the European Union. Eur J Cancer 35:1182–1186
Shahla M, Verhaeghe V, Hedeshi AR, Friedman G, Vincent JL (1995) European participation in major intensive care journal. Intensive Care Med 21:7–10
Lewison G, Grant J, Jansen P (2001) International gastroenterology research: subject areas, impact, and funding. Gut 49:295–302
Mela GS, Mancardi GL (2002) Neurological research in Europe, as assessed with a four-year overview of neurological science international journals. J Neurol 249:390–395
Mela GS, Cimmino MA (1998) An overview of rheumatological research in the European Union. Ann Rheum Dis 57:643–647
García Díaz F (1999) Búsqueda de la bibliografía médica a través de internet. El proyecto PubMed. Med Clin (Barc) 95:582–588
Science Citation Index (2000) Journal Citation Reports. Institute for Scientific Information Inc, Philadelphia.http://www.isinet.com
Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSAT). Eurostat Yearbook 2002. The statistical guide to Europe.http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/eurosat/Public/datashop/print-product/EN?catalogue=Eurosat&product=yearbook02-EN&file=free.htm
Gagnon RY, Macnab AJ, Gagnon FA (2000) A quantitative ranking of Canada’s research output of original human studies for the decade 1989 to 1998. CMAJ 162:37–40
Pestaña A (1997) El MedLine como fuente de información bibliométrica de la producción española en biomedicina y ciencias médicas. Comparación con el Science Citation Index. Med Clin (Barc) 109:509–511
Brambrink AM, Ehler D, Dick WF (2000) Publications on paediatric anesthesia: a quantitative analysis of publication activity and international recognition. Br J Anaesth 85:556–562
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ramos, J.M., Gutiérrez, F., Masía, M. et al. Publication of European Union Research on Infectious Diseases (1991–2001): A Bibliometric Evaluation. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 23, 180–184 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-003-1074-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-003-1074-4