Comparison of 7 english-language cardiology journals for 1983

Abstract

This article analyzes and compares 7 English-language cardiology journals for the year 1983 in terms of numbers of pages, articles, types of articles, figures and tables published and numbers of authors per article. The 7 journals included the 4 major USA cardiology journals— The American Journal of Cardiology (AJC), Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) and American Heart Journal (AHJ)—and 3 non-USA English-language cardiology journals: British Heart Journal (BHJ), European Heart Journal (EHJ) and the International Journal of Cardiology (IJC). Although Circulation published the most total page (because of its huge abstract issue), the AJC published more total pages for articles, the most articles (in its regular issues, 44% more than Circulation, 48% more than the JACC and 39% more than the AHJ) and the AJC provided the most words per page (its maximal number being 20% higher than the maximal number in irculation, 16% higher than in the JACC and 26% higher than in the AHJ). Each of the 3 non-USA journals was much smaller in terms of pages and articles published than were any of the 4 USA journals. In types of articles published, several differences among the 7 journals were apparent. Of the articles in Circulation, 24% concerned experimental (nonhuman) studies; this percent was 14 in the JACC, 12 in the AHJ, 8 in the AJC and none or nearly none in the BHJ, EHJ and IJC. Brief reports accounted for 27% of the 392 articles in the AHJ and 13 % of the 643 articles in the AJC. Of the 190 articles in the IJC, 112 (59 %) were editorials and 14% were brief reports (case reports). Articles concerning systemic hypertension accounted for only 2% of the 2,250 articles published in the regular issues of all 7 journals. The 4 USA journals averaged 4.7 authors per article and the 3 non-USA journals, 3.4 authors per article.