ArticleEuropean journal of epidemiology2004
Why do some countries publish more than others? An international comparison of research funding, English proficiency and publication output in highly ranked general medical journals.
Article in European journal of epidemiology, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Analysis of research hotspots and trends in epididymitis from 2014 to 2025: a visual analysis based on bibliometrics and scientific graphs from multiple databases.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Mitochondrial transfer in cancer: a global bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Rehabilitation potential in older people living with frailty: a systematic mapping review.BMC geriatrics · 2021Pooled it
- Growing Trend of China's Contribution to Global Diabetes Research: A Systematic Literature Review.Medicine · 2016Pooled it
- Determinants of an academic career and barriers to research among young otolaryngologists in Europe.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- From Oral Presentation to Publication: Outcomes of CIRSE 2021-2022 Abstracts.Cardiovascular and interventional radiology · 2026Article
- From abstract to article: Publication outcomes of oral presentations at the ESNR congresses between 2018 and 2022.Neuroradiology · 2026Article
- Comparing perspectives from experts and individuals with lived experience in the Global North versus the Global South: ICF core sets for deafblindness.Population health metrics · 2026Article
- [Residents training in Austria and Germany : Cross-border perspectives: career paths and opportunities].Pathologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Productivity on Kawasaki Disease in Southeast Asia: Trend and Socioeconomic Drivers.Acta medica Philippina · 2026Article
- Pediatric-related post-COVID condition (long COVID) research and its foundational influences: a bibliometric analysis (2020-2025).Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- AI in peer review: can artificial intelligence be an ally in reducing gender and geographical gaps in peer review? A randomized trial.Research integrity and peer review · 2025Article
- Low-research settings: is there a need for specific attention from funders?BMJ global health · 2025Review
- A systematic scoping review reveals that geographic and taxonomic patterns influence the scientific and societal interest in urban soil microbial diversity.Environmental microbiome · 2025Review
- Global Trends in the Value of Author Order Across Medical Publications: A Cross-Sectional Bibliometric Study.Clinical and translational science · 2025Article
- Politicultural Linking: Inferences Between Political and Apolitical Traits.Public opinion quarterly · 2025Review
- Asia's Growing Contribution to Obesity Surgery Research: A 40-year Bibliometric Analysis.Obesity surgery · 2024Article
- The use of environmental data in descriptive and predictive models of vector-borne disease in North America.Journal of medical entomology · 2024Review
- Insight into the research history and trends of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection: a bibliometric analysis.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2024Article
- The Top 100 Classical and Contemporary Papers on Elbow Surgery: A Trend Analysis of Elbow Surgery Literature.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2024Article
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
National factor(s) influencing publication output in the highest ranked medical journals are largely unknown. We sought to examine the relationship between national research funding and English proficiency on publication output. We identified all original research articles appearing in the five highest ranked general medical journals between 1997 and 2001. Using the country of the corresponding author as the source nation for each article, we determined a standardized publication rate across developed nations. We used multiple regression techniques to determine the influence of national expenditures on research and scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), a surrogate for English proficiency, on publication output. There was a significant relationship of national spending on research and TOEFL scores to publication output of developed countries (p = 0.04; p < 0.01, respectively). These two variables explained approximately 71.5% of the variation in publication rate across developed nations around the world (R = 0.85; p < 0.01). Normalized for population size, English-speaking nations and certain northern European countries such as Denmark, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Sweden had the highest rate of publication in the five highest ranked general medical journals, while Asian countries had generally low rates of publication. Research spending and English proficiency were strongly associated with publication output in the highest ranked general medical journals. While these data cannot be considered definitive due to their observational nature, they do suggest that for English-language medical journals, research funding and English proficiency may be important determinants of publication.
Indexed as
Identifiers
15469039What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.