KnowledgeLink Newsletter
April 2006
Who are the people – and what are the papers – that are having
the biggest impact on current research? Science Watch®, the Thomson Scientific
bimonthly publication that tracks trends and impact in today's research
community, has just released its annual roundup of the hottest research and
researchers of 2004-2005.
Hot papers and researchers: who’s who
Science Watch defines a “Hot Paper” as one that has been cited
significantly more than others of its type and age – and a “hot”
researcher as someone who has authored or co-authored a large number of hot
papers. The hottest researcher over the last two years is Osaka University’s
Shizuo Akira, with contributions to 11 hot papers on immune-system function.
The hottest paper published last year (aside from review articles), with 124
citations as of late December 2005, is “C-reactive protein levels and
outcomes after statin therapy,” by P.M. Ridker et al, published in the
New England Journal of Medicine in January 2005.
One of the contributors to this paper is Harvard’s Marc A. Pfeffer, who
is tied for second place in the “hottest researcher” category, with
eight hot papers to his credit. A significant portion of his citations focus
on the role of statins in cardiovascular research and clinical trials. The New
England Journal of Medicine has the distinction of publishing this and the three
other top-ranked hot papers of 2005, as well as having the most highly cited
papers overall.
The hottest fields
The field with the most hot researchers in 2004-2005 is physics. Of the top
21 researchers in this year’s report, 14 published in this field, far
above the second place ranking of 3 for clinical medicine. The important areas
focused on by these influential physical-sciences researchers include the Belle
B-meson and Super-Kamiokande neutrino-detection experiments and the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational Wave Observatory. Clinical Medicine topped the list of fields
with the most hot papers, with cardiovascular research being an especially hot
topic.
See
the hottest 21 researchers and 40 hottest papers from 2005
