Comparative Analysis of International Research Publications from Thai Dental Faculties between 2000 and 2008

ABSTRACT

Objective: To study and compare the international publications of research performance during the years 2000 and 2008 from the 8 dental faculties of state universities in Thailand.Materials and Methods: Data were generated using computerized search of the databases of publications listed in the reports from Institute of Scientific Information Web of Science (ISI-WOS), Scopus and PubMed databases.Results: A total number of publications from the years 2000 to 2008 from 8 dental faculties were as followings Chulalongkorn (CU) = 187; Mahidol  University(MU) = 176; Chiang Mai  University (CMU) = 106; Khon Kaen  University(KKU) = 90; Prince of Songkla (PSU) = 116; Thammasat University  (TU) = 21; Srinakharinwirot  University (SWU) = 19; and Naresuan University (NU) = 6. Based on these data, the dental faculties could be roughly divided into 3 groups CU and MU; CMU, KKU and PSU; and the 3 recently established TU, SWU and NU. Although the combined number of   publications from these 8 dental faculties did not change much from 2000 to 2005, there was a big jump in the number between the years 2005 and 2006 and this phenomenon was observed for all faculties. In general, the quality of publications, based on journal impact factors, did not vary considerably among these dental faculties. However, it was noted that the research with results leading to publications in journals with high impact factors were mostly performed by staff members who were on leave of absence for higher degrees and/or oversea training. Conclusion: This comparative analysis of publications from the 8 Thai dental faculties between 2000-2008 provided unbiased appraisal of quantity and quality of research publications which roughly paralleled with the time when they were established, from the oldest Chulalongkorn University to the youngest Naresuan University. It is hoped that some of our suggestions and criticisms will be useful in upgrading research performance in Thai dental faculties, thus making them more competitive in national and international arena. Keywords Thai dental faculties, ISI-WOS, International research publications, Impact factor