The continuing rise of contact dermatitis, Part 2: The scientific journal.

BACKGROUND

Although citation analysis represents an increasingly common method for examining the performance of scientific journals, few longitudinal studies have been conducted in the specialist fields of dermatology.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to provide the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of Contact Dermatitis for the 30-year period between 1977 and 2006.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Detailed historical data were extracted from the Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports and systematically analysed. The most highly cited articles published in the journal were also identified and then examined for citation frequency and lag time.

RESULTS

Citation analysis showed that the impact factor of Contact Dermatitis has increased significantly over the past 30 years, experiencing a sixfold improvement between 1977 and 2006.

CONCLUSIONS

Bibliometric trends as identified in the current study clearly demonstrate the ongoing rise of Contact Dermatitis, from early beginnings in the mid-1970s, into the leading scientific periodical we know today.