Asian Journals Research Articles

Female author representation differs between journals from the United States of America, Europe, and Asia: a 10-year comparison of five medical disciplines

To provide information for targeted support of female scientists, the objective of this study was to evaluate how female authors are represented in journals of five medical disciplines with varying rates of female physicians from the United States of America (USA), Europe, and Asia. For this retrospective bibliometric study 15 representative gynecologic, pediatric, radiologic, urologic, and surgical journals from the USA, Europe, and Asia were selected from the Web of Science database. From these, all n = 24182 publications of the years 2007/2008 and 2017/2018 were included. Gender and affiliations were assigned to first and senior authors using a software (Gender API, Passau, Germany), native speakers, and a web-based search. For statistics mixed logistic and multinomial logistic regression were applied. In pediatrics, radiology, and urology, highest female first and senior author shares were consistently found in journals from the USA. In European journals proportions across all disciplines tripled (odds ratio 2.96 [95% CI 2.60–3.37], P < .0001). Asian journals showed three-times fewer female authorships than journals from the USA or Europe and the smallest increase (1.36 [1.11–1.66], P = .0026). Compared to the proportion of female physicians within each specialty, female first authors remained underrepresented in Asian journals and female senior authors in journals of all regions. In journals from the USA most female authors originated from institutes within the USA (36.2%), in European journals from the USA (21.1%) or Europe (21.7%). Women from Asian institutes were worst represented in journals of all regions with lowest rates in Asian journals (9.4%). In conclusion female first authors remained underrepresented in Asian journals, female senior authors and women from Asian institutes in journals from all regions. Programs for gender equality in science are thus particularly necessary to support female senior authors, for Asian journals, and women from Asian institutes.

Status and factors associated with the adoption of data sharing policies in Asian journals

Purpose: This study investigated the current status and factors associated with adopting data sharing policies in Asian journals. Data sharing policies vary by country and region, and few studies have examined the trends and factors related to these policies in journals across the Asian region.Methods: The 2020 Scimago Journal and Country Rank was used to download data about 1,143 Asian journals indexed in Web of Science. Excluding 40 journals inaccessible via the Internet or without English-language websites and author guidelines, 1,103 journals were analyzed through descriptive statistical analyses and the chi-square test.Results: Of the 1,103 journals, 325 (29.5%) had data sharing policies, showing a moderate level of policy adoption among Asian journals. The results of the chi-square test suggested that the impact factor and publisher type (whether a publisher was commercial) were significantly associated with the presence of data sharing policies in journals, but subject categories were not identified as a significant factor. Regarding the strength of data sharing policies, most journals provided policies that only encouraged data sharing.Conclusion: Policies only encouraging data sharing are unlikely to lead to actual data sharing; thus, considering varying levels of policy strength and effective ways to induce authors’ compliance with the policies is important. Further research needs to examine other factors affecting the presence or strength of data sharing policies.

A Comparison of Asian Law Journals Published in Asian and Western Countries

The purpose of this study was to compare Asian law journals published in Asia with those published in Western countries to determine the characteristics of the journals in relation to the geographic region in which they are published. In this study, Western countries refer to the Anglo-Saxon English-speaking countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Using the Scimago Journal and Country Rank (SJR), 12 Asian law journals published in Asia and 8 Asian law journals published in Western countries were analyzed for performance, authorship, and topical research areas. Human rights issues affecting Asian countries were more prevalent in journals published in Western countries. In terms of journal performance, Asian law journals published in Western countries had a higher h-index, SJR, and citation rate than those published in Asia. Journals published in Western countries are published by reputable commercial publishers or university presses, and journals published in Western countries have longer coverage years. These reasons likely contributed to better visibility, which resulted in better performance.

Apriori sample size estimation and reporting in original articles published from 2012 to 2020 in two Asian orthodontic journals.

AIMS:To evaluate the proportion and completeness of reporting apriori sample size estimation (SSE) in research articles published in the Journal of Orthodontic Science (JOS) and the Journal of Indian Orthodontic Society (JIOS).MATERIALS AND METHODS:All online research articles published in both journals from 2012 to 2020 were screened. Those reporting apriori SSE were analyzed for the study design and completeness of SSE reporting (outcome parameter and assumptions, Type I error, Power/type II error, one or two-tailed test, the method used, justifications for assumptions, adjustments in sample size, and the target sample size). Chi-square or Fisher exact test was used to analyze the differences between the journals in the proportions of articles reporting these characteristics.RESULTS:Twenty articles (13.2%) in JOS and 24 (8.3%) in JIOS, have reported apriori SSE [χ2 (1, N = 440) = 2.573, P=0.10]. Non-clinical and quasi-experimental studies formed nearly two-thirds of articles reporting SSE in JOS. Quasi-experimental (34%), randomized controlled trials (28%), and cross-sectional studies (24%) formed the bulk of articles reporting SSE in JIOS. Type II error/power was the most frequently reported characteristic in both (75% and 95.8% in JOS and JIOS, respectively), and the number of tails was the least (5% and 0%, respectively). More articles in JOS than JIOS reported the outcome variable used [65% vs. 12.5%, χ2 (1, N = 44) = 12.99, P <.001] and provided justifications for the assumptions [70% vs 33.3%, χ2 (1, N = 44) = 5.86, P = 0.01].CONCLUSION:The extent and completeness of reporting apriori SSE are suboptimal in these journals and require prompt and stringent curative measures.

Preprint acceptance policies of Asian academic society journals in 2020

Purpose: In the current era of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the trend of sharing new research results through preprint platforms is receiving more attention from researchers than ever before. Preprints have been recognized as a primary and essential method to disseminate new findings faster than traditional publications. Therefore, it has become necessary for journals and editors to acknowledge these changes, prepare preprint policies, and notify authors accordingly. This study aimed to review the status of preprint policies of international publishers and Asian academic society journals.Methods: In total, 383 Asian academic society journals registered in Science Citation Index Expanded were selected as a dataset for analysis between December 11, 2020 and January 8, 2021. Three different parameters were investigated whether each journal had a preprint policy, whether journals allowed preprint manuscripts to be submitted, and whether preprint articles were allowed to be included in the references.Results: Among the 383 Asian academic society journals from 22 countries, only 28 journals accepted preprint manuscripts, and eight allowed the use of preprint manuscripts as references. Japan had the most journals that both had preprint policies and accepted preprint manuscripts, with 13 journals, followed by Korea with 10 journals.Conclusion: Despite the limitations of this study, the results show that editors and journal staff should understand the current preprint trend and try to prepare preprint policies that best meet the journals’ and authors’ interests.

Recent trends of research in open and distance education in India

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to analyse the research trends on the Indian Open and Distance Education (ODE) system as reflected in the articles published in the prominent journals of distance education across the world.Design/methodology/approachA study was undertaken to review the research articles on ODE in India published in 11 prominent peer-reviewed journals of distance education during the period 2010–2019. Content analysis was done to find out areas of research undertaken in the ODE of India based on a validated classification of research areas; types of research studies conducted; and authorship and publication patterns.FindingsOut of a total of 2,571 articles published in 11 selected journals, only 191 (7.42%) pertained to ODE in India. The majority of these 191 articles (68.42%) were published in Indian journals. The Indian and Asian journals together accounted for 93.55% of total articles. Globally, the share of articles on the Indian ODE system was significantly low ranging between 4.27 and a maximum of 10.77%, which was much below expectations from a country having the maximum number of ODE learners in the world. Results further revealed that 63% of the contributors to research on ODE in India were affiliated to Indira Gandhi National Open University.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this study was only analysing the research articles published in journals of distance education and other types of articles, namely, book reviews, editorials, field notes and workshop reports were excluded from the analysis.Practical implicationsThe study is intended to help researchers, policymakers, and open and distance education institutions to draw a roadmap for the promotion and conduct of system-based research, which would be vital for strengthening the system.Social implicationsThe quantum of research is not proportionate to the number of faculty members working in the ODE system of India and the large number of learners that it serves, which is a matter of concern. For any system to grow its periodic systemic review is essential. The research outcomes need to be ploughed back into the system for its betterment.Originality/valueThe study is original. There is no such study undertaken till date. This study will be extremely useful to researchers, as the gaps in distance education research which are yet to be addressed, have been identified by the authors.

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on Asian scholarly journal editors’ daily life, work, and opinions on future journal development

Purpose: This study examined changes in Asian journal editors’ daily life and work during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and investigated their opinions on expected changes, thereby providing preliminary data to support the future needs of journal editors.Methods: A survey questionnaire was developed and sent to 1,537 editors and staff of Asian scientific journals from July 13 to 19, 2020. The items gathered information on participants’ general characteristics, changes in daily life, changes in work life, anticipated future changes, and suggestions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: Of the 152 respondents (response rate, 9.7%), most were editors. Fifty-seven respondents (37.5%) felt very or extremely anxious about the COVID-19 pandemic, and 101 (68.4%) reported spending more time on the internet. The workload of editing, reviewing, and publishing had increased for about one-third of respondents (34.2%, n = 52). Forty-four respondents (28.9%) said that the number of submissions had increased. Of the 68 editors who had received manuscripts on COVID-19, 30 (44.1%) prioritized them. Most respondents (73.7%, n = 112) predicted that online-only journal publishing would expand after the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusion: COVID-19 appears to be a source of anxiety to editors, which may be related to the increased time they spend on the internet. Some editors reported an increased workload. To promote online communication, a better environment and training tools are required. Editors and staff will need more opportunities to prepare for online publishing, as editors believed that the online-only publication of scholarly journals would accelerate after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pervasive Misclassification and Misconception of Study Designs in Asian Dermatology Journals Listed in Science Citation Index-Expanded.

BackgroundMisclassification of study designs of journals can hinder the readers from assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the study and evaluating the applicability of the study in the real-world setting. However, it seems that it is common for authors to neglect to classify the study design.ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the classification of study designs and examine the common errors.MethodsThis descriptive study analyzed four Asian dermatology journals listed in the science citation index expanded from January 2018 to December 2018. We investigated discrepancies between author-reported and actual study designs. Design Algorithm for Medical Literature on Intervention (DAMI) was used to determine the actual study design.ResultsOf the 177 papers analyzed, only 72 articles (40.7%) revealed their study design and among them, 23 articles (32.0%) showed discrepancies between the author-reported and the actual study designs. Case-control studies were the most commonly misclassified study designs by authors.ConclusionThere were considerable differences between the author-reported study design and the actual study design in Asian dermatology journals. Proper classification of study designs by the authors is essential to strengthen evidencebased medicine.

‘Knowing’ Pakistan: knowledge production and area studies

This article explores the processes that contribute towards the image of Pakistan as portrayed to the West. It does this by critically analysing the discursive practices through which knowledge, and a general idea of Pakistan, are created, for example in South Asian area studies journals and South Asian studies centres in Western universities. This article demonstrates that most scholarly research on Pakistan, as published in South Asian studies journals, is in fact heavily influenced by the research of American and European scholars. It argues that as the positionality of these Western scholars is further based on ‘academic quality’, this causes a continuous circle of knowledge production. In this circle, the Western academic produces ‘quality’ work in top area studies journals. Their work then receives wider circulation due to the scholar’s positionality and status within elite, Western centres of knowledge production, whereas research in South Asian studies centres is predominantly India-centric. While true to their proposed research ambit, research conducted on India in South Asian studies centres is multidisciplinary in nature. In Pakistan’s case, most of the research, however marginal, remains centred on the country’s security and its international affairs.

Temporal and spatial patterns of research on a globally significant invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus L.: A bibliographic review

Parthenium hysterophorus L. is a globally significant environmental and agricultural weed that is rapidly spreading from its native range in the tropical Americas to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents. We analyzed temporal and spatial patterns of research done on this weed across the world. Research articles were accessed from online databases, Web of Science (WOS) and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and previously published review articles. A total of 428 research articles in 161 SCIE/SSCI indexed journals was published from 1970 to December 2018 out of which 76% of the research was conducted in South Asia. Asian journals had more publications than European and American journals revealing concern for invasion, and more effort on the development of management strategies. Most of the research was conducted on potential uses (19%), allelopathic effect (17%) and phytochemical studies (13%) of this weed. Even though the plant has invaded 49 countries outside of its native range, research publications were available only from twelve (25%) countries. The extent of the geographic areas and ecosystems invaded by this weed is still not known for all the countries where it has been reported. We contend that the continuing spread of this weed is due to lack of timely and adequate knowledge and research in the introduced range. Our search of the literature indicates that to prevent the rapid spread of this weed and to economically manage this pest where it has already invaded, increased research activities and effective technologies for various control measures and competitive displacement by using different plants must be established in all the invaded countries.

Status of digital standards, licensing types, and archiving policies in Asian open access journals registered in Directory of Open Access Journals

Status of digital standards, licensing types, and archiving policies in Asian open access journals registered in Directory of Open Access Journals

Равенство, справедливость и реальность открытого доступа к научной информации

The current statistic data on the open access (OA) journals and institutional repositories show some successes and increased awareness on OA in Asian countries. There are several concerns, however, in regards to the access and use of articles by researchers together with the continued increase of libraries’ expenditure for journals. In the present article we introduce five solutions in the global and local perspectives. OA2020 initiative is a global initiative to transform existing journals to OA. Although the practical process of OA2020 remains a challenge, the transformation will increase OA without significant increase of journals and budgets for publishing. The promotion of the local and Asian journals is the second big challenge. Because these local or Asian journals still have important roles in the local research community, they should keep current publishing model of OA at the low cost but with high quality and the better access. The restructuring of the current library budget is the third challenge. The budget for periodicals should be reduced and the saved budget can be used to pay articles processing charge for OA and for purchasing monographs. The fourth important issue is ‘the digital blind spot at the young unemployed and retired elderly’. These groups of poorly supported and potentially important researchers have to be considered as a priority issue to the policies on OA and scholarly knowledge. Lastly, we believe there should be different needs for other activities: optimization of the searchable database, governmental policy on open science and international cooperation on OA.

Collaboration Among Endocrinology Publications in Asia

For JAFES in 2010, or even before that, the overwhelming concern was how to make this journal a worthy partner among Asian and international journals. The arena was already teeming with international, regional, and country-specific journals on endocrinology. What did JAFES have to offer to the Southeast Asian endocrinologist?

Grounded Theory: A Practical Overview of the Glaserian School

In many parts of the world, qualitative research is still new. This can be evidenced in the limited number of qualitative research theses, dissertations, and journal article publications in Asian higher education institutions and journals. In fact, many institutions hardly offer qualitative research courses in their graduate programs. However, qualitative research is steadily growing. More and more people in many different fields are embracing it. Looking at the historical foundation of qualitative research, it is important to recognize the first publication of a qualitative research design by Glaser and Strauss (1967) half a century ago. This book is generally accepted as the pioneering work in the field of qualitative research. This manuscript presents an overview of what the classical grounded theory by these two pillars of qualitative research is all about and examples of how to implement it effectively in carrying out a research study. This manuscript is intended to provide a practical understanding of grounded theory for novice qualitative researchers and a refresher for experienced ones.

Evaluation of Quality of Pharmacoeconomic Studies in Asia-Pacific Region and Identification of Influencing Variables

ObjectivesTo assess the quality of pharmacoeconomic studies and identify different variables influencing the quality of these studies conducted in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. MethodsA systematic literature search was performed with PubMed and Cochrane using different combinations of terms for cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-minimization analyses. The Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) instrument was used for quality assessment of included studies. Logistic regression was performed to determine the association of factors with high-quality studies (QHES score ≥75). ResultsOf 262 retrieved studies, 128 met the inclusion criteria. The mean QHES score was 67.4 ± 1.35. The distribution of studies in each quality quartile was as follows: high (n = 59 [46.09%]), fair (n = 50 [39.06%]), and poor (n = 19 [14.83%]). Most of the high-quality studies (n = 80 [62.5%]) were conducted in Japan and Australia. Only 11 high-quality studies (18.64%) were published in specialty journals and 4 (6.78%) in Asian journals. Primary authors who had advanced training in health economics were associated with a higher number of high-quality studies (n = 51 [86.44%]). Training of primary authors was significantly associated with high-quality studies (odds ratio 7.1; 95% confidence interval 2.9–19.23). Impact factor of journal, per-capita expenditure on health care, and out-of-pocket expense on health did not have a significant association with high-quality scores. ConclusionsHigh-quality pharmacoeconomic research is confined to a few countries of the APAC; it can be improved by advance training of authors in public health or health economics. Also, a greater interest of various stakeholders in funding the research and the introduction of specialty journals in the APAC are warranted.

Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery's Evolution into an International Journal Based on Journal Metrics.

This article is aimed at providing evidence of increased international recognition of Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery (CiOS) based on journal metrics. Since 7 years have passed since its launch in 2009, it is time to reflect on the journal's efforts to be recognized as a top-notch journal. The following journal metrics were analyzed from the journal's homepage and Web of Science Core Collection database: number of citable and noncitable articles; number of original articles supported by grants; editorial board members' countries; authors' countries; citing authors' countries; source titles of citing articles; impact factor; total citations; comparison of impact factor with 3 Science Citation Index Expanded journals; and Hirsch index (H-index). Of the total 392 articles, 378 were citable articles (96.4%). Of the total 282 original articles, 52 (18.4%) were supported by research grants. The editorial board members were from 13 countries. Authors were from 20 countries. The number of countries of citing authors was 66. The number of source titles of citing articles was more than 100. The total citations of CiOS have increased from 0 in 2009 to 374 in 2015. The impact factors without self-citations of CiOS were the greatest among 4 Asian journals in 2013 and 2014. The 2015 impact factor was calculated as 0.79 in January 2016. The H-index was 13. CiOS can be considered to have reached the level of top-notch journal in the orthopedic field based on journal metrics. The inclusion of the journal in PubMed Central appears to have increased international relevance of the journal.

Overview of antimicrobial options for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia: focus on macrolide resistance.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infectious disease affecting children and adults of any age. Mycoplasma pneumoniae has emerged as leading causative agent of CAP in some region, and the abrupt increasing resistance to macrolide that widely used for management of M. pneumoniae has reached to the level that it often leads to treatment failures. We aim to discuss the drivers for development of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae, antimicrobial stewardship and also the potential treatment options for patients infected with macrolide-resistant M. pneumonia. The articles in English and Chinese published in Pubmed and in Asian medical journals were selected for the review. M. pneumoniae can develop macrolide resistance by point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene. Inappropriate and overuse of macrolides for respiratory tract infections may induce the resistance rapidly. A number of countries have introduced the stewardship program for restricting the use of macrolide. Tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones are highly effective for macrolide-resistant strains, which may be the substitute in the region of high prevalence of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae. The problem of macrolide resistant M. pneumonia is emerging. Antibiotic stewardship is needed to inhibit the inappropriate use of macrolide and new antibiotics with a more acceptable safety profile for all ages need to be explored.

Globalization in Urology: A Bibliographical Analysis of Cross-Continent Publication between 2002 and 2012

Introduction: Asian scientists have now increasingly begun to contribute to globalization; yet it is not clear whether publishing in the field of urology is paralleled by elevated cross-continental scientific publishing. Materials and Methods: An exemplary bibliometric analysis of urologic journals from 3 different continents was conducted between 2002 and 2012. Based on the ISI Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Reports, 2 urologic journals with similar impact factors (IFs) in 2013 were selected from Europe (‘British Journal of Urology International', ‘World Journal of Urology'), Asia (‘International Journal of Urology', ‘Asian Journal of Andrology') and North America (‘Urologic Oncology-Seminars and Original Investigations', ‘Urology'). The home continent of the journal, the workplace continental affiliation of the last author, article type (clinical, experimental or review) as well as the IF were documented. Results: Most authors published their manuscripts in journals from the same continent in which they worked. However, a significant increase in cross-continental publishing was apparent from 2002 to 2012. Asians publishing in North America increased from 17% in 2002 to 35% in 2012. Europeans also increased the number of articles they published in North American journals, while publications from North American authors were shifted towards both European and Asian journals. Experimental and clinical articles showed significant increases in cross-continental publishing, while review publishing showed no significant change. The average IF for authors from all 3 continents increased from 2002 to 2012 (p < 0.001). The largest increase in the IF was found for Asian authors (0.11 per year). Conclusions: Cross-continental publication significantly increased during the period from 2002 to 2012. The impact that the Asian authors have experienced was found to be gradually impacting the North American and European colleagues.

Translation Studies Orientations: A Case Study on Asian and European Journals

The present study aimed at determining whether there existed any significant differences among different Translation Studies (TS) research areas in Asian as well as European journals. This study focused on the twelve main areas of TS listed by Williams and Chesterman (2002). To do so, six TS journal (three Asian and three European ones) were selected based on simple random sampling. Then, out of each journal, twenty articles were selected through simple random sampling. Having determined the corresponding TS research areas, each paper was placed in one of the twelve listed research areas. The results of the frequency analyses showed statistically significant differences among the frequencies of TS research areas in Asian and European journals (p < 0.05). While the most frequent research areas in Asian journals were 'Translator Training', 'Interpreting', and 'The Translation Process', the most frequent research areas in European journals were observed to be 'Genre Translation', 'Text Analysis and Translation', 'Translation History', and 'The Translation Process' The results also revealed that 'Multimedia Translation' and 'Terminology and Glossaries' were among the least frequent research areas, both in Asian and European journals.

Coxhead's AWL Across ESP and Asian EFL Journal Research Articles (RAs): A Corpus-based Lexical Study

In the past few years, several cross-disciplinary corpus-based studies have been carried out on the frequency and coverage of 570 word families from Coxhead's (2000) academic word list (AWL). Some reported high coverage of this word list in their corpuses while some others questioned its generality and stated that this word list is far from complete. Hence, along with these studies, the present study attempted to examine the word frequency and text coverage of AWL on 80 research articles (RAs) written in English with 320310 running words across two Asian EFL and ESP journals. Using frequency and range as the criteria for word form selection, this study identified 438 words as the academic words and 144 new added academic words to the list which was called revised academic word list (RAWL). Applying both AWL and RAWL into the entire corpus, results support high coverage and importance of academic words in both ESP and EFL RAs. However, when two word lists were examined into ESP corpus (ESPC) and EFL corpus (EFLC) separately, academic words had higher coverage in ESPC than EFLC. From these findings it is concluded that (1) academic words play an important role in academic texts; therefore, acquisition of them seems to be essential for language learners and users, (2) because of the nature of ESP articles, ESPC holds higher coverage of academic words, (3) some of the words included in the AWL are field-specific and (4) direct attention to these words from behalf of the material and syllabus designers and teachers can lead to a better understanding of these words;hence, students’ development in their writing and reading.