Chapter: 5 Science & Engineering Indicators 93

U.S. Publication Patterns.

Over 60 percent of U.S. publications in 1991 were in the life sciences, particularly in clinical medicine and biomedical research, which together accounted for more than half of U.S. publications. (See figure 5-16.) This proportion for the life sciences as a whole has been roughly stable over the past decade. (See "U.S. and World Publications in Biology and Biomedical Research" ,appendix table 5-21, figure 5-14 and figure 5-17.)

The sectoral origins of U.S. science and engineering articles remained quite stable during the 1980s with a marginal increase in the academic share and offsetting declines in those of FFRDCs and the Federal Government. About 70 percent of U.S. articles are published by academic researchers. Industry, the Federal Government, and nonprofit organizations contribute 7 to 9 percent each, while about 3 percent are written by FFRDC researchers. (See appendix table 5-25.)

In all fields except mathematics, academic authors supplied between 60 and 77 percent of U.S. articles. In mathematics, they account for 92 percent of the articles. (Click here for footnote 31.) Major field concentrations for industry are found in engineering and technology (24 percent of total) and in chemistry and physics (17 percent each); major concentrations for the Federal Government are in earth and space sciences (15 percent) and biology (14 percent); for nonprofit organizations in clinical medicine (13 percent); and for FFRDCs in physics (13 percent).

Footnote 31:

Coincidentally, this field has a relatively small share of researchers supported by federal funds.

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