Abstract
BackgroundIn the past decade, scientific research has developed rapidly in China, but the growth seems to vary widely between different disciplines. In this study, we aimed to compare the quantity and quality of publications in urology and nephrology journals from USA, China and Japan.MethodsJournals listed in the “Urology and Nephrology” category of Science Citation Index Expanded subject categories were included. Scientific papers in these journals written by researchers from USA, Japan and China were retrieved from the “PubMed” and “Web of Knowledge” online databases.ResultsThe annual number of total scientific articles increased significantly from 2001 to 2010 in China, and has ranked second in the world since 2006. In the field of urology and nephrology, the annual number increased significantly from 2001 to 2010 in USA and China; but not in Japan. The share of articles increased significantly over time in China, decreased significantly in Japan, and remained unchanged in USA. In 2010, USA contributed 32.17% of the total world output in urology and nephrology field and ranked 1st; Japan contributed 5.19% and ranked 5th; China contributed 3.83% and ranked 9th. Publications from USA had the highest accumulated IFs and the highest total citations of articles (USA>Japan>China, p<0.001). No significant difference was found in average IF among the three countries. USA published the most articles in the top 10 urology and nephrology journals (USA(35165)>Japan(6704)>China(2233), p<0.001). Researchers from USA published more clinical trials and randomized controlled trials than Japan and China (USA>Japan>China, p<0.001).ConclusionAlthough China has undergone significant increase in annual number and percentage of scientific publication in urology and nephrology journals in the past decade, it still lags far behind USA and Japan in the field of urology and nephrology in terms of quantity and quality.
Highlights
The increasing incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a global public health challenge [1]
This study aimed to evaluate the quantity and quality of scientific publications in the field of urology and nephrology in China during the past decade (2001–2010), and to compare these with USA and Japan
The number of scientific articles from China has exceeded that from Japan since 2006, and ranked second in the world thereafter (Table S1)
Summary
The increasing incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a global public health challenge [1]. In China, the overall prevalence of chronic kidney disease is 10.8%, and the total number of patients with chronic kidney disease is estimated to be about 119.5 million [2], which is larger than that of USA (26.3 million) [3]. Renal replacement therapies (RRT), including maintenance peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis and renal transplantation, are the required treatments for patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Chronic kidney disease has become an important public health problem in China [2]. We aimed to compare the quantity and quality of publications in urology and nephrology journals from USA, China and Japan
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