Mapping the literature of radiologic technology

Area of Science:

• Bibliometrics
• Radiologic Technology
• Health Sciences Literature

Background:

• Previous literature analyses in radiology have not specifically identified core journals.
• This research addresses a gap by focusing on core publications within radiologic technology.
• The study aligns with the Medical Library Association's project to map allied health literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the core journals in the radiologic technology field.
• To determine the extent of indexing for these core journals.
• To analyze citation patterns and publication trends in radiologic technology literature.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis was employed to identify core journals.
• Citation analysis was conducted on a corpus of radiologic technology literature.
• Journal indexing coverage was assessed across major databases.

Main Results:

• A small core of journals forms the foundation of radiologic technology literature.
• Journal articles are heavily relied upon, with books used to a lesser extent.
• The majority of analyzed citations were published between 1980 and 1993.

Conclusions:

• Radiologic technology literature is concentrated in a limited number of key journals.
• MEDLINE and EMBASE provide the most comprehensive indexing for this field.
• Minimal indexing coverage exists in databases like CINAHL and HEALTH.