The one fixed point in a changing age. An analysis of half-secular trends among original papers published in The Lancet 1945-95

Acta Clinica Belgica
P Selvais, M Hermans

Abstract

We performed a systematic survey of original papers published in The Lancet throughout the years 1945, 1946, 1970 and 1995. The Lancet was chosen due to a conservative layout through these years, and the year 1946 added to the analysis to ponder for any war-induced bias. The general layout and structure of the journal were indeed maintained throughout these years. The number of authors per paper increased steadily (from 1.7 +/- 1.3 in 1945 to 6.4 +/- 3.4 in 1995), as well as the number of papers written on behalf of investigation groups (from 1 in 1945 to 37 in 1995). Major changes were observed in the area of origin of the papers, from an overwhelming British Isles' preponderance (87% of papers published in 1945) to a partake with Continental Europe, America and international groups (27, 33, 15 and 12%, respectively of the 1995 papers). The most often addressed fields of medicine shifted from war-, surgery- and microbiology-related subjects in 1945 towards cardiology-, oncology-, and virus-related works in 1995. The most impressive and enduring change was the increase in the use of statistical tools for data analysis and presentation (0.3% of papers in 1945 vs. 60% in 1995).

References

Mar 9, 1990·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·M J Gardner, J Bond
Jul 24, 1998·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·L J Wilcox
Jul 24, 1998·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·J P Drenth
Jul 24, 1998·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·A FlanaginD Rennie

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