Bibliometrics of highly cited articles in the research field of volatile organic compounds

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have caused global concerns due to their toxicity and chemical reactivity in photochemical air pollution. Scientific research on the VOCs has been increasing during the past decades. To understand the high impact research, this study conducted a bibliometric analysis of highly cited articles associated with VOCs field based on the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) from 1900 to 2014. Articles with at least 100 citations from the Web of Science Core Collection were selected for analysis. Publication year, authors, institutions, countries/territories, journals, Web of Science categories, and citation life cycles were used to evaluate the publication performance of the highly cited articles. The results show that a total of 295 highly cited VOCs related articles were published in SCI-EXPANDED between 1954 and 2011. The USA was the most productive country in VOCs research, with most VOCs-specialized institutions such as University of Colorado, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). The Y-index assessment revealed that S.C. Lee from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and M. Phillips from Menssana Research Inc. had highest publication potential on highly cited articles and were influential scientists in VOCs field. Citation life cycles analysis indicates that the article entitled “A global model of natural volatile organic compound emissions” was the most cited work in VOCs-related studies.