Fava, GA; Ottolini, F "International trends in psychiatric research. A citation analysis" CURRENT OPINION IN PSYCHIATRY, 17 (4): 283-287 JUL 2004

[Eugene Garfield]

Giovanni A. Fava : E-mail Address: fava at psibo.unibo.it

Author(s): Fava, GA; Ottolini, F

Title: International trends in psychiatric research. A citation analysis

Source: CURRENT OPINION IN PSYCHIATRY, 17 (4): 283-287 JUL 2004

Language: English     Document Type: Article

Abstract:
Purpose of review
The state of research in psychiatry of different countries can be assessed
using a database of the Institute for Scientific Information, which includes
publications and citations taken from the peer-reviewed journals that are
indexed. The aim of this paper was to comment on the international trends
that result from a citation analysis of the psychiatric field.

Recent findings
The US and the UK were the leading countries both in terms of the number of
papers and impact. However, in recent years, several European countries have
displayed an impressive growth.

Summary
Citation analysis discloses very different patterns in the growth of
research in psychiatry between different countries. Substantial differences
in performances may reflect a number of phenomena, such as the efficiency of
academic or research institutions and priorities in investments.


EXCERPT FROM PAPER :
"CONCLUSION:

The citation analysis of individual countries in psychiatry has yielded
important observations.  While in the 1980s there wa s a clear
Anglo-American superiority, this predominance  appeared to be challenged in
the 1990s.  The US is still the top country for impact, and Canada, Ireland,
and New Zealand show remarkable progress. However, the UK is only 13th for
change in impact.  There has been an impressive growth of several European
countries (Belgium, The Netherlands, Austrial, Germany) and a decline in
some Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Denmark).  Substantial differences
in performances may reflect a number of phenomena, such as the tradition of
fields of excellence, different levels of priorities in investment,
efficiency of academic or research institutions, and local trend within
academic psychiatry.  If international trends emerging from citation
analyses are supplemented by analyses performed at a national level - as
occurred, for instance, in Italy [13], with particular reference to mental
health [14] - several questions of crucial value for research may be
addressed.  What are the characteristics of the publications from the
countries with the greater impact?   Do the most-cited researchers tend to
publish in high-impact journals or simply use methodologies and address
issues that have greater influence among clinical scientists?  Are there
differences in the structure of the clinical studies in high-impact
countries (e.g. do they tend to support larger, multicenter studies rather
than smaller trials; are there differences in funding and review processes;
what are the mechanisms of the academic career)?  The answers to these types
of questions may yield important insights for psychiatric research.  Another
interesting implication is the separation between the quantity of research
published and its impact.  The psychiatric literature is overburdened with
huge  quantities of publications of little relevance, which are never cited
[11].  Understanding the nature of high-impact research might help
scientists and funding agencies better target their efforts across
international boundaries."


Addresses: Univ Bologna, Dept Psychol, I-40127 Bologna, Italy; Univ Modena,
Dept Psychiat & Mental Hlth, Modena, Italy

Reprint Address: Fava, GA, Univ Bologna, Dept Psychol, Viale Berti Pichat 5,
I-40127 Bologna, Italy.
E-mail Address: fava at psibo.unibo.it

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Cited Reference Count: 14
Times Cited: 0

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