CITATION-CLASSICS IN CLINICAL DERMATOLOGICAL JOURNALS - CITATION ANALYSIS, BIOMEDICAL JOURNALS, AND LANDMARK ARTICLES, 1945-1990

Background and Design: Analysis of the most frequently cited dermatolo gy articles and the journals in which they appear identifies and empha sizes the impact of works of colleagues and predecessors, recognizes k ey advances in cutaneous medicine and surgery, and adds useful data ab out historical developments in dermatology. Use of citation analysis t o examine the dermatologic literature reveals quantitative information about authors, articles, and journals helpful in identifying classic works and high-impact journals. We analyze the characteristics of all dermatology articles cited 100 or more times in one of the 10 most hig hly ranked clinical dermatology journals as indicated by the Institute of Scientific Information (Philadelphia, Pa) database from 1945 throu gh 1990 and also discuss the standard and, as well, more recently desc ribed bibliometic indexes for dermatologic journals. Results: Thirty-o ne institutions located in 11 different countries produced 129 landmar k articles. Ninety-two percent of the citation classics originated in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany. There were 16 authors with three or more top-cited articles. Fifty-two percent of th e articles were of the clinical type, 22% were clinical review article s, and 26% discussed basic science topics. The mean number of authors has increased gradually over the past 80 years. The average classic ar ticle was published in 1969, peaked in popularity 9 years later with 2 6 peer citations, and received only 11 citations in 1990. Conclusions: Citation frequency and citation analysis reveal useful and interestin g information about scientific communication. The data on citation cla ssics we describe can be interpreted in many ways, but certainly refle cts the attention that articles have received over the past 48 years. The half-life of the average citation classic of about 10 years reflec ts the rapid pace of advances in the science and practice of dermatolo gy over the past several decades. This information, along with current bibliometric indexes, may assist physicians in optimizing the time th ey spend reading the medical literature.