Bibliometric Analysis of Pharmacology Publications in the United States: A State-Level Evaluation

Bibliometrics can be used to track the growth of scientific disciplines that reveal trends, resource utilization and productivity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacology and pharmacy publications in the United States at a state-bystate level and determine correlations with economic and population parameters. Pharmacology publications represent a small percentage of state publications (highest 5.4%). Fifteen states (30%) account for 71% of all pharmacology publications and 72% of all citations. A strong correlation was found between state pharmacology publications and GDP (r = 0.9). Bibliometric data can provide insight on factors that correlate with scientific output and may help policy makers decide what strategies might attract economically stimulating industries to their states.