Abstract
Purpose: :
The purpose of this study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the peer-reviewed scientific and clinical literature generated by ophthalmologists, optometrists and vision researchers in India appearing between 2001 and 2006, to assess productivity, trends in publication types and journals in which these publications appeared, research funding, and collaborative research patterns.
Methods: :
We searched PubMed for articles indicating both vision-related content and author affiliation with an Indian research centre. We identified research collaborations and funding from indexing for research support; we classified articles as reporting basic science, clinical science, or clinically descriptive research. Impact factors were determined from Journal Citation Reports for 2006.
Results: :
A total of 2163 citations meeting study criteria were retrieved. Annual output during the study period increased from 284 articles in 2001 to 460 articles in 2006. Two-thirds of these were published in international journals; 41% were published in vision-related journals with 2006 impact factors; and 3% were published in impact factor journals not related to vision. More than 50% of the total came from just nine major eye hospitals in India. Clinical science articles were the most frequently published; basic science articles were consistently the smallest category. The percentage of publications resulting from international collaborations increased from 3% in 2001 to 8% in 2006. The focus of the journal with the highest number of publications, cataract and related surgery, corresponds with the most common cause of bilateral blindness in India: cataracts
Conclusions: :
Research productivity by Indian ophthalmologists, optometrists and vision researchers increased in both quantity and quality in the short time period we examined. Identified barriers to further increases in the quantity and quality of vision research include limited access to information resources by students, clinicians and basic researchers; lack of funding for research; absence of laboratories, hardware and software; low standards for patient-related data collected during patient care; and limited opportunities during physician training programs for education and experiences in research methods and skills. New opportunities exist for collaborative work between researchers in India and those in other countries based both on new infrastructure and knowledge base in India, and on the recent institution of standards and legal agreements governing this research.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: health care delivery/economics/manpower