Publications of general practice research in China mainland 1993–2012: a bibliographic review

Abstract

Objectives To review the publications of general practice research in China mainland from 1993 to 2012. Methods The literatures on general practice research published in China mainland from 1993 to 2012 were retrieved from the China Journal Full Text Databases, Wanfang Databases and PubMed. The publications were analyzed using the literature management software NoteExpress2, Excel and SPSS 19.0. Results A total of 16 349 Chinese publications and 266 English publications of general practice research were collected. The amount of publications was gradually increasing during 1993 and 2012 and there was a sharp increase in the Chinese publications from 2008 to 2012 comparing with the previous years. The Chinese publications in China's core journals accounted for 32.39% (5 295/16 349) of total of publications; and the English publications in SCI journals accounted for 96.62% (257/266) of total publications. The authors from community health service facilities accounted for 76.01%(12 427/16 349) of Chinese publications; while authors from research institutes and universities accounted for 61.65% (164/266) of the English publications. Results showed that 37.59% (6 145/16 349) and 37.12% (6 069/16 349) of the Chinese publications were commentaries and descriptive studies, only 9.57% (1 565/16 349) were randomized controlled trials; 52.63% (140/266) of the English publications were descriptive studies and 9.02% (24/266) were randomized controlled trials. 60.75% (9 932/16 349) of the Chinese publications and 75.94% (202/266) of the English publications were focused on clinical topics. Conclusion Although the number of general practice publications has been increasing during 1993–2012, the quality of publications is still less satisfactory and need to be further improved. Key words: Bibliometrics; General practice; Research