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Has there been an information explosion in histopathology?
1Department of Pathology, University of Sheffield Medical School.
Journal of Clinical Pathology
|August 1, 1992
Summary
The number of research papers relevant to histopathology has surged dramatically between 1966 and 1990. This growth in histopathology literature outpaced the overall increase in medical publications.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Bibliometrics
- Histopathology Research Trends
Background:
- Assessing the volume of scientific literature is crucial for understanding research focus.
- Histopathology is a cornerstone of diagnostic medicine, requiring continuous literature evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the trend in publications relevant to histopathology from 1966 to 1990.
- To compare the growth rate of histopathology literature against the general increase in medical publications.
Main Methods:
- A bibliometric analysis was performed using the CD-Plus Medline database.
- Searches covered 18 Medical Subject Headings across selected years (1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990).
Main Results:
- The total number of relevant papers increased by 293% from 1966 to 1990, reaching 36,780 papers in 1990.
- 16 categories showed increased indexing, with 11 experiencing over 200% growth.
- This growth rate significantly exceeded the overall indexed paper increase of 189%.
Conclusions:
- Histopathology literature has experienced exponential growth, indicating expanding research and clinical interest.
- The field's publication expansion is disproportionately larger than in many other medical disciplines.