Pattern of articles published in the Ethiopian Medical Journal

Five Hundred and Thirty Nine articles published between January 1984 and December 2000 in the Ethiopian Medical Journal were analysed to assess the research pattern and the citations of published articles. Hand-in-hand search of the journals and the Science Citation Index database were used. Majority (69%) of the articles were original articles. The median number of authors per article was 2 with a range of 9 (Maximum 10 and Minimum 1). Majority of first authors were affiliated to teaching institutions (69.6%). Foreign nationals were first authors in 19.9% and co-authors in 26.7% of the articles. Multiple authored articles [OR (95% CI) = 1.17 (1.03-1.33)], original articles [OR (95% CI) = 12.0 (4.43-32.48) and articles dealing with intestinal parasites [OR (95% CI) = 3.88 (1.24-12.08)] were more likely to be cited. Although, encouraging efforts were seen in addressing issues of public health importance in the last five years (1996-2000) of the study period, the findings of the study suggest that there is still a need to address them in a more vigorous way. It was also recommended efforts should be initiated to improve the citation of articles published by the Ethiopian Medical Journal and enhance the publication of editorials and brief communications.