Esther García-Carpintero

The representation of nationalities on the editorial boards of international journals and the promotion of the scientific output of the same countries

This paper analyses the nationalities of the editorial board members of the top 20 journals (according to their impact factor in the ISI Journal Citation Report, Science Edition 2005) serving 15 scientific disciplines. A total of 281 journals were analysed (some journals crossed disciplinary boundaries) and 10,055 of their editorial board members were identified. Some 53% of board members were from the United States. Europe provided 32%, with the United Kingdom making the greatest contribution (9.8%). The analysis of scientific output by nationality in these journals showed a significant correlation, in all disciplines, with the representation of the corresponding nations on the editorial boards. The composition of editorial boards may therefore provide a useful indicator for measuring a country’s international scientific visibility. The present results should be taken into account in the design of national policies with the aim of enhancing the presence of a country’s most prestigious scientists on the editorial boards of the main international journals.

El valor del idioma español en ciencia y tecnología

We analyse the specific weight of the Spanish as a primary language in scientific journals published in Spain and Latin American countries, as well as through the global scientific output covered by the main bibliographic databases of international coverage. The study highlights the importance of the Spanish as a language of scientific communication in certain disciplinary areas linked on the one hand to socio-economic regional interests of Spanish-speaking countries, as it is the case of Clinical medicine, Geology and Environment, and, on the other, to certain scientific fields of the Social sciences and Humanities, as it is the case of the Regional economy, the Literature, the History of Ibero-American countries, etc. This study aims to contribute to the better knowledge and understanding of the real and potential value of the Spanish in the scientific world, with regard to the appropriate use of this resource for the development of our societies, and its cultural and economic projection at the international level.

Investigación científica española sobre treinta patologías de origen genético

Introduccion Se ha realizado un estudio de la produccion cientifica espanola durante el periodo 2000-2005, sobre las treinta patologias de origen genetico incluidas en la encuesta de la OCDE sobre ensayos geneticos moleculares. Resultados En revistas MedLine aparecen 105 articulos sobre 20 de las patologias consideradas, lo que supone el 0,4% de la produccion mundial. Sin embargo, esta contribucion es superior al 2% en el caso de algunas de la patologias mundialmente menos estudiadas. En las bases espanolas IME/ISOC/ICYT aparecen 266 articulos sobre 25 patologias, con lo que la contribucion espanola es equivalente al 1,4% del total mundial, valor inferior al observado en el campo de la Biomedicina y Ciencias de la Salud (2,4%). Espana ha publicado mas articulos en las patologias estudiadas que Holanda o Portugal y menos que Italia y Francia, aunque en algunas patologias el numero de articulos espanoles es superior al de todos estos paises. Analisis El 52% de los articulos publicados en revistas MedLine han sido citados un promedio de 12 veces y son de caracter mas basico que los incluidos en IME, que en una gran proporcion son de caracter aplicado y aparecen en revistas de Pediatria. El 65% de los articulos espanoles proceden de 97 laboratorios en hospitales publicos, 10 de los cuales han publicado el 43% de los articulos aparecidos en MedLine y son los que muestran un cierto grado de especializacion en al menos cinco patologias.