Environmental health citation patterns: mapping the literature 2008-2010

This research seeks to understand the publication types and ages cited most often in environmental health literature and the most commonly cited journal titles.

From the 43,896 items cited in Environmental Health Perspectives and the Journal of Environmental Health during 2008-2010, 2 random samples were drawn: First, 1,042 items representing all citations were analyzed with respect to publication type, age, and Internet link. Second, the cited journal name and citation age were recorded for 1,038 items culled from only citations to journal articles. All journal titles were classified into Bradford zones and assigned subject disciplines.

Journal articles (n = 891, 85.5%) were the most heavily cited publication type. Cited items' publication years ranged from 1951 to 2010. Close to half (49.1%) of all cited items were published 5 or fewer years previous. Sixteen journal titles (3.9%) accounted for 32.5% of all cited journal articles. The 3 most common subject disciplines-"Public, Environmental & Occupational Health," "Environmental Sciences," and "Toxicology"-accounted for 21.6% of all unique journal titles and 45.3% of all citations.

Environmental health citation patterns differ from other public health disciplines in terms of cited publication types, cited journals, and age of citations.