Top-cited dermatology authors publishing in 5 "high-impact" general medical journals

Background: In addition to publishing in the dermatologic literature, some dermatologists also publish articles in the general medical journals, which enjoy wide circulation and whose articles are often cited. Objective: To identify articles and citations to these articles that the mo st frequently cited authors in the dermatologic literature published in hig hly cited general medical journals. Design: We obtained a citation database from the Institute of Scientific In formation, Philadelphia, Pa, that identified all articles published by the top-cited authors in the dermatologic literature in 5 "high-impact'' genera l medical journals. Setting: The 5 high-impact general medical journals with the historically h ighest impact factors. Subjects: Two hundred top-cited authors in dermatology journals and their c oauthors. Main Outcome Measure: Number of citations to articles published in 5 high-i mpact general medical journals. Results: From 1981 to 1998, 120 of the 200 top-cited dermatology authors pu blished a total of 674 papers in the 5 most highly cited general medical jo urnals. Original articles published in these high-impact general medical jo urnals were cited an average 7.5 times more often than articles published i n dermatology journals. Conclusions: Top-cited authors in dermatology journals also frequently publ ish in the leading 5 high-impact general medical journals. Publications in these journals by dermatologists are often highly cited.