The Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal 1999 to 2008: a scientometric appraisal

Scientometric is one of the emerging concepts used to analyze the growth, structure, interrelationships amongst the disciplines and the productivity of the volume of intellectual publications. For the sake of qualitative acquisition of the relevant information resources from the avalanche of the information world, scientometric or bibliometric is relevant research methodological approach that will enhance quality collection and determines the core texts, core journals, core information and core research areas. Hence its absence of application may negate medical libraries collection development.

The essence of the research work is to determine the quantum volume of research output, patterns of research collaboration by authorship, geographical, subject, and citations distributions.

Information was transcribed on cataloguing cards for the generation of databank. Subject analysis was done by using medical subject headings 2010 edition and Bradford's Statistical methodology was used to analyze the data.

Results showed that a total number of articles produced was 576. The most productive research year was 2007 which pooled 80 (13.9%) articles and 12,182 was the total number of references cited.Also, year 2007 pooled the highest number of references cited 1722 (14.1%). December issues ranked the highest with 151 articles, September issues produced the highest citations with 3,409; two authorship collaborations accounted for the highest number with 162 (28.1%) articles.

Adoption of scientometric or bibliometric or informetric in analyzing journal for a period of time is a useful strategy to know the direction of publication of a journal, its strengths and weaknesses, unravels high concentration areas and the low concentration areas and helps to harmonize the deficiencies.