Franks AL, Simoes EJ, Singh R, Gray BS "Assessing prevention research impact - A bibliometric analysis " AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE 30 (3): 211-216 MAR 2006

[Eugene Garfield]

E-mail Addresses: afranks at cdc.gov

Title: Assessing prevention research impact - A bibliometric analysis

Author(s): Franks AL, Simoes EJ, Singh R, Gray BS

Source: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE 30 (3): 211-216 MAR 2006

Document Type: Article
Language: English
Cited References: 13      Times Cited: 0

Abstract:
Background: This study was undertaken to explore a bibliometric approach to
assessing the impact of selected prevention research center (PRC) peer-
reviewed publications.
Methods: The 25 eligible PRCs were asked to submit 15 papers that they
considered the most important to be published in the decade 1994-2004.
journal articles (n =227) were verified in 2004 and categorized: 73% were
research reports, 10% discussion articles, 9% dissemination articles, and
7% review articles.

Results: Only 189 articles (83%) were searchable via the Institute of
Scientific Information (ISI), Web of Science databases for citation
tracking in 2004. These 189 articles were published in 76 distinct journals
and subsequently, cited 4628 times (range 0 to 1523) in 1013 journals.
Articles published before 2001 were cited a median of 14 times each.
Publishing journals had a median ISI impact factor of 2.6, and ISI half-
life of 7.2. No suitable benchmarks were available for comparison. The PRC
influence factor (number of PRCs that considered a journal highly
influential) was only weakly correlated with the ISI impact factor and was
not correlated with half-life.

Conclusions: Conventional bibliometric analysis to assess the scientific
impact of public health prevention research is feasible, but of limited
utility because of omissions from ISI's databases, and because citation
benchmarks for prevention research have not been established: these
problems can and should be addressed. Assessment of impact on public health
practice, policy, or on the health of populations, will require more than a
bibliometric approach.

Addresses: Franks AL (reprint author), Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Natl Ctr
Chron Dis Prevent & Hlth Promot, Div Adult & Community Hlth, MS K-45,4770
Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341 USA
Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Natl Ctr Chron Dis Prevent & Hlth Promot, Div
Adult & Community Hlth, Atlanta, GA 30341 USA
Prevent Res Ctr Program, Atlanta, GA USA
Off Workforce & Career Dev, Atlanta, GA USA

E-mail Addresses: afranks at cdc.gov

Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC, 360 PARK AVE SOUTH, NEW YORK, NY 10010-
1710 USA
IDS Number: 016YN

ISSN: 0749-3797

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