Rationale and Objectives
This study aimed to assess the most common publication types in radiology journals, as well as temporal trends and association with citation frequency.
Materials and Methods
PubMed was searched to extract all published articles having the following “Publication Type” indices: “validation studies,” “meta-analysis,” “clinical trial,” “comparative study,” “evaluation study,” “guideline,” “multicenter study,” “randomized study,” “review,” “editorial,” “case report,” and “technical report.” The percentage of articles within each category published within clinical radiology journals was computed. Normalized percentages for each category were also computed on an annual basis. Citation counts within a 2-year window following publication were obtained using Web of Science. Overall trends were assessed.
Results
Publication types with the highest fraction in radiology journals were technical reports, evaluation studies, and case reports (4.8% to 5.8%). Publication types with the lowest fraction in radiology journals were randomized trials, multicenter studies, and meta-analyses (0.8% to 1.5%). Case reports showed a significant decrease since 1999, with accelerating decline since 2007 ( P = 0.002). Publication types with highest citation counts were meta-analyses, guidelines, and multicenter studies (8.1 ± 10.7 to 12.9 ± 5.1). Publication types with lowest citation counts were case reports, editorials, and technical reports (1.4 ± 2.4 to 2.9 ± 4.3). The representation in radiology journals and citation frequency of the publication types showed weak inverse correlation (r = −0.372).
Conclusions
Radiology journals have historically had relatively greater representation of less frequently cited publication types. Various strategies, including methodological training, multidisciplinary collaboration, national support networks, as well as encouragement of higher level of evidence by funding agencies and radiology journals themselves, are warranted to improve the impact of radiological research.
Introduction
The peer-reviewed literature serves as the primary mechanism for scientific investigators in the biomedical sciences to communicate their findings and ultimately influence clinical management. Published articles are associated with varying levels of evidence, ranging for instance from case reports to clinical trials to meta-analyses, as well as encompassing content beyond original research, such as editorials, reviews, and guidelines. These different article categories, in turn, may advance knowledge and impact subsequent scientific investigations and patient care to varying degrees.
Researchers within radiology have been challenged to focus upon research that meets the highest of standards of evidence-based medicine and that is most anticipated to advance human health . For instance, although not systematically evaluated, it has been suggested that existing research within the field of magnetic resonance imaging largely comprises lower levels of evidence, such as observational studies, proof-of-concept studies, and small cohort studies . In addition, case reports historically represented a common article type within the radiologic literature . An awareness of current trends regarding the most common article types within the radiology literature, as well as variation in impact among these types (as assessed by the frequency of citations), may help inform investigators and journal editors regarding key areas of priority for subsequent research design. Therefore, in this study, we assess the most common publication types in radiology journals, as well as temporal trends and association with citation frequency.
Methods
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Results
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Table 1
Percentage of All Articles Within PubMed Database Indexed by Selected Publication Types that Were Published Within Clinical Radiology Journals, Listed in Descending Order by Frequency, along with the Three Journals in which Articles Indexed by the Given Publication Type Most Commonly Appeared
Publication Type Percentage in Radiology Journals Most common journals First Second Third Technical report 5.8% (136/2,336) Clinical Radiology Academic Radiology American Journal of Neuroradiology Evaluation study 4.8% (9,615/201,632) IEEE Transactions Medical Imaging Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology Case report 3.9% (66,591/1,722,655) Clinical Nuclear Medicine American Journal of Roentgenology Pediatric Radiology Validation study 3.8% (2,701/7,1104) IEEE Transactions Medical Imaging Journal of Nuclear Medicine European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Guideline 2.6% (679/26,468) Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology Journal of Nuclear Medicine European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Comparative study 2.4% (39,781/1,692,264) Radiology American Journal of Roentgenology RöFo Editorial 1.8% (6,676/376,567) Radiology Journal of Nuclear Cardiology American Journal of Neuroradiology Clinical trial 1.7% (13,931/796,990) Neuroimage Radiology Journal of Nuclear Medicine Review 1.5% (29,741/1,974,171) Radiologic Clinics of North America American Journal of Roentgenology Radiographics Meta-analysis 1.5% (792/54,026) Radiology European Journal of Radiology Neuroimage Multicenter study 1.4% (2,576/180,661) Radiology Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology American Journal of Roentgenology Randomized trial 0.8% (3,184/387,706) Radiology American Journal of Roentgenology British Journal of Radiology
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Table 2
Temporal Trends in Fraction of Publications in Radiology Journals Indexed as a Given Publication Type
Data from 1999 through 2013 were assessed, with the most recent trends for each publication type listed.
Publication Type Temporal Trend Increase Technical report Significant increase ( P = 0.010) from 2009 through 2013 Evaluation study Significant increase ( P = 0.003) from 2007 through 2013 Validation study Significant increase ( P < 0.001) from 2006 through 2013 Comparative study Significant increase ( P < 0.001) from 2007 through 2013 Clinical trial Significant increase ( P = 0.008) from 2010 through 2013 Review Significant decrease ( P < 0.001) from 2007 through 2013 Meta-analysis Significant increase ( P = 0.004) from 2004 through 2013 Multicenter study Significant increase ( P < 0.001) from 1999 through 2013 Randomized trial Significant increase ( P < 0.001) from 2010 through 2013 Decrease Case report Significant decrease ( P = 0.002) from 1999 through 2013, including a significant acceleration ( P = 0.002) in the rate of decline starting in 2007 Review Significant decrease ( P < 0.001) from 2007 through 2013 Editorial Significant decrease ( P < 0.001) from 2009 through 2013 No change Guideline No significant increase or decrease over time ( P > 0.1)
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Table 3
Two-year Citation Counts of Publication Types Within Radiology Journals, Listed in Descending Order
Publication Type Two-year Citation Count \* Meta-analysis 12.9 ± 5.1 Guideline 9.2 ± 17.8 Multicenter study 8.1 ± 10.7 Clinical trial 6.1 ± 80 Validation study 5.8 ± 6.5 Evaluation study 5.6 ± 7.2 Randomized trial 5.3 ± 8.0 Comparative study 5.0 ± 6.9 Review 4.5 ± 7.4 Technical report 2.9 4.3 Editorial 1.6 ± 3.7 Case report 1.4 ± 2.4
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Discussion
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