UNITED-STATES RESEARCH PUBLISHED IN MAJOR SURGICAL JOURNALS IS DECREASING

Objective The authors hypothesized that less research performed in the United States was reported in the five major general surgical journal s in 1993 than in 1983. Summary Background Data Academic surgeons beli eve they have less time and fewer funds for research than previously. Methods Five journals were analyzed for the number of pages and articl es devoted to basic and clinical research in 1983 and 1993 and for the country in which the research was performed. Results The number of U. S. research pages and articles decreased over the past decade, and the number of non-U.S. pages and articles increased. Conclusions The reas on(s) for the decrease in U.S. research reported in the general surgic al journals should be studied, identified, and, if possible, rectified .