[Turkey's articles in cardiovascular medicine displayed quantitative and qualitative improvements in 2008]

The output of publications in cardiovascular medicine during 2008 originating from Turkey's institutions were evaluated based on data of the Web of Knowledge. Only original articles and reviews appearing full-text in source publications of Science Citation Index CD Edition alone were included. A weighted credit system was used for items published jointly by multiple institutions or with a noncardiological department. Turkey's publications rose substantially to 220 articles and reviews, as her share of world publication rose from 10.0 to 10.8 per mille. Seven-eighths of the output originated from adult cardiology, pointing to a negative trend with respect to the fields of cardiovascular surgery and pediatric cardiology. Though the median impact factor was similar with 1.56 to that of the previous year, the finding that half of the publications appeared in periodicals with an impact factor of 1.19 to 2.88 showed a trend to target relatively better journals. Our established medical faculties, with the exception of the Aegean faculty, continued to lag behind in productivity, while the Başkent University led by far, and the Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Gazi University, and Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular Surgery Center were runners-up.