The UK has increased its share of research published in the world's most influential scientific journals, according to a report published by the UK's Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). The report analysed 17 million papers and 22.5 million citations in 8000 of the world's leading scientific journals. It was found that the UK contributes nine percent of papers produced annually and a 12 percent share of citations, placing it second only to the US in world rankings.
Also, the country has increased its share of citations in 'high impact' journals which make up only 1 percent of all journals - such as Nature, Science and Cell - to 13.4 percent, demonstrating a continued increase from 12.9 per cent in 2004 and 13.2 percent in 2005. The report also identified an increase in the impact of UK papers as a result of increased international collaboration. Collaborations with the USA, Germany and France specifically boosted the quality of research publications.
The research compared how the UK is performing alongside the 25 world leading research economies including the G8 nations, India and China. The report also highlights a four fold increase in the number of papers produced by China over the last decade. It was found that despite having a growing scientific economy, China remains relatively unproductive ranked 16th in terms of paper output per unit of R&D investment. Nations which have also substantially increased their share of world papers include Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and, most notably, Iran - which has shown a ten-fold increase to almost 7,000 papers over the last year.
