Mapping the core journals of the physical therapy literature |
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| Authors: | Dennis W Fell Judy F Burnham Melanie J Buchanan Heidi A Horchen Joel A Scherr |
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| Institution: | Chair, Physical Therapy Department, University of South Alabama, 2011 HAHN, Mobile, AL 36688 ;Director, Biomedical Library, University of South Alabama, 316 CBBL, Mobile, AL 36688 ;Doctor of Physical Therapy Student (at the time of the research);Doctor of Physical Therapy Student (at the time of the research);Doctor of Physical Therapy Student (at the time of the research); Physical Therapy Department, University of South Alabama, 2011 HAHN, Mobile, AL 36688 |
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| Abstract: | Objectives:The purpose of this study was to identify (1) core journals in the literature of physical therapy, (2) currency of references cited in that literature, and (3) online databases providing the highest coverage rate of core journals.Method:Data for each cited reference in each article of four source journals for three years were recorded, including type of literature, year of publication, and journal title. The journal titles were ranked in descending order according to the frequency of citations and divided into three zones using Bradford''s Law of Scattering. Four databases were analyzed for coverage rates of articles published in the Zone 1 and Zone 2 journals in 2007.Results:Journal articles were the most frequently cited type of literature, with sixteen journals supplying one-third of the cited journal references. Physical Therapy was the most commonly cited title. There were more cited articles published from 2000 to 2007 than in any previous full decade. Of the databases analyzed, CINAHL provided the highest coverage rate for Zone 1 2007 publications.Conclusions:Results were similar to a previous study, except for changes in the order of Zone 1 journals. Results can help physical therapists and librarians determine important journals in this discipline.Highlights- More cited references were published in the last eight years studied than in any previous full decade.
- Physical Therapy, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (APMR), and Spine were the most frequently cited titles. Previous studies found APMR to be the most cited journal.
- CINAHL provided the highest coverage rate for the most commonly cited titles, with MEDLINE and EMBASE providing the best coverage for the next group of titles.
Implications- Health sciences librarians and clinicians can use these results to identify important journals for developing collections and determining the need for access to back issues of journals.
- Multiple databases are needed for comprehensive coverage of the physical therapy discipline
Implications- Health sciences librarians and clinicians can use these results to identify important journals for developing collections and determining the need for access to back issues of journals.
- Multiple databases are needed for comprehensive coverage of the physical therapy discipline
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