Biomedical research in developing countries. I--The Algerian case (1993-1998).

Biomedical articles emerging from Algeria between 1993 an 1998 were analysed in order to evaluate the scientific output. By developing a search strategy based on complementary bibliographic databases, 221 articles were retrieved, which geographic location, research topic, language, journal name and impact factor were analysed. International collaborations resulted in a profound change of the publication profile in terms of language, journal impact factor, and above all a change in research interests. This study might encourage initiatives to improve literature access and contribute to define incentives for scientific research policy in Algeria as well as in other developing countries.