ABS: Traynor, Endogenous and exogenous research? Findings from a bibliometric study of UK nursing research

[Gretchen Whitney]

Michael Traynor : michael.traynor at lshtm.ac.uk
<mailto:michael.traynor at lshtm.ac.uk>

Title        Endogenous and exogenous research? Findings from a bibliometric
study of UK nursing research
Author    Traynor M, Rafferty AM, Lewison G
Journal   JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING 34 (2): 212-222 APR 2001
Document type: Article          Language: English    Cited References: 42
Times Cited: 0


Abstract:
Aims of the study. This paper uses the findings of a recent bibliometric
analysis of published UK nursing research to ask whether the field is
characterized by a fundamental split between two underlying areas of
research interest. These can be termed 'endogenous' and 'exogenous', The
former term describes research which tends to be concerned with problems and
issues to do with nursing as a profession; the latter is concerned with
problems and issues centring around the nursing of patients.


Design/methods. Papers in the Wellcome Trust's Research Outputs Database
(ROD), a database of UK biomedical research, were analysed. Nursing papers
published between 1988 and 1995 numbered 1845, just less than 1% of the
total papers in the ROD.


Results/findings. Analysis of the subfield identified chat nursing research
was atypical of biomedical research as a whole in a number of ways. One
difference was that usually in biomedical research there is a general
correlation between numbers of funders acknowledged on a payer, numbers of
authors, and esteem of the journal in which a paper appears. In nursing
there was, if anything, a tendency for highly esteemed papers to have fewer
authors and be less likely to have acknowledged funding. However, the
apparently endogenous and exogenous papers have quite different
characteristics. This paper explores this apparent difference and possible
reasons for this difference and will briefly compare nursing research with
some other newly emerging social and academic groups.


Conclusions. Thinking of nursing research outputs in this way can provide
insight into the existence of different reward systems influencing nurse
researchers. However, it is impossible to draw too confident a
differentiation without reading each individual paper and making judgements
about whether they are 'endogenous' or 'exogenous', a practice generally
beyond che scope of bibliometric practice.

Author Keywords:
bibliometrics, journal esteem, citation, nursing research, United Kingdom


KeyWords Plus:
EDUCATION


Addresses:
Traynor M, Univ London London Sch Hyg & Trop Med, Ctr Policy Nursing Res,
Keppel St, London WC1E 7HT, England
Univ London London Sch Hyg & Trop Med, Ctr Policy Nursing Res, London WC1E
7HT, England
Wellcome Trust, Policy Unit, London, England


Publisher:
BLACKWELL SCIENCE LTD, OXFORD


IDS Number:
429XY


ISSN:
0309-2402

Cited Author            Cited Work                            Volume
Page      Year

 *COMM NURS            CMND5115
1972
 *CTR POL NURS RES     ANN REP CPNR
1997
 *NAT AUD OFF          NURS ED IMPL PROJ 20
1992
 *UK CENTR COUNC NU    PROJ 2000 NEW PREP P                         1986
 ANDERSON J            INT COMP RES OUTPUTS
1994
 BALL SJ               BRIT J EDUC STUD                          42
1      1994
 BULMER M              SOCIAL SCI RES GOV C
1987
 CHARLES C             INTRO ED RES
1988
 CHODOROW N            REPROD MOTHERING PSY                           1978
 CIXOUS H              CRIT INQUIRY                                19
201      1993
 CRAIG G               QUALITY 1 ASSESSMENT
1997
 DAVIES P              BRIT J EDUC STUD                        47       108
1999
 DAWSON G              MAPPING LANDSCAPE NA
1998
 DEBEAUVOIR S          2 SEX
1953
 EAGLETON T            LIT THEORY INTRO
1983
 ERNST S               OUR OWN HANDS
1981
 FAWCETT J             ANAL EVALUATION CONC
1984
 FULLER S              NURS OUTLOOK                            26       700
1978
 GILLIGAN C            DIFFERENT VOICE PSYC
1983
 GRAEFF G              PROFESSING LIT I HIS
1987
 GREER G               FEMALE EUNUCH
1971
 IRIGARAY L            CONTINENTAL PHILOS R
1996
 JOHNSON DE            NURS RES                                  23
372      1974
 JOHNSON T             PROFESSIONS POWER
1972
 KRISTEVA J            CONTINENTAL PHILOS R                         378
1996
 LARSON MS             RISE PROFESSIONALISM
1977
 LEWISON G             SCIENTOMETRICS                        41        17
1998
 MALEFIJT AD           IMAGES MAN HIST ANTH
1974
 MASLOW A              PSYCHOL BEING
1968
 MELEIS A              THEORETICAL NURSING
1985
 NARIN F               EVALUATIVE BIBLIOMET
1976
 PHILLIPS A            OUR BODIES OURSELVES
1971
 POLLARD A             SOCIOLOGY TEACHING N                        54
1988
 RAFFERTY AM           MEASURING OUTPUTS NU
2000
 ROGERS C              BECOMING PERSON
1961
 SAID E                ORIENTALISM
1978
 SILCOCK P             BRIT J EDUC STUD                        42       273
1994
 STODULSKI AH          RCN STUDY UK NURSING
1995
 TRAYNOR M             NURSING RES HIGHER E
1998
 WATKIN D              RISE ARCHITECTURAL H
1980
 WATSON J              NURS OUTLOOK                            27       413
1981
 WOODS P               SOCIOLOGY TEACHING N


-------------------------------------------------------------
(c) ISI, Reprinted with permission
Please visit their website at www.isinet.com
-------------------------------------------------------------