Paper examining research output sparks debate within anaesthesia field

A recent paper by School of Clinical Sciences anaesthetists published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia has provoked debate within anaesthesia with two editorials published and discussion of its findings at the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia.

Researchers are judged in many ways, including the quantity and quality of their published research. Various measures of research productivity have been proposed, but one of the problems is that different research fields may publish in different ways, making comparisons difficult, acording to the paper by Drs Iain Moppett and Jonathan Hardman at the Division of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.

In the paper, entitled 'Bibliometrics of anaesthesia researchers in the UK', the research output of UK researchers in anaesthesia was examined using a variety of measurements.

The key findings were that although anaesthesia is a relatively small research specialty, there does not appear to be much difference in the quality or quantity of research produced compared to other medical specialties in Europe or North America. The data also provide a benchmark for individual researchers and departments.

Reference:
BRITISH JOURNAL OF ANAESTHESIA VOL 107; NUMBER 3 (2011) pp. 351-356
Bibliometrics of anaesthesia researchers in the UK; Moppett, I. K.; Hardman, J. G.; Advance Access publication 26 May 2011. doi:10.1093/bja/aer124