Biomedical research in the Netherlands: high quality due to cooperation between University Medical Centers and non-academic large teaching hospitals
Levi, M.; Sluiter, H.E.; van Leeuwen, T.; Rook, M.; Peeters, G.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 157(26): A6081
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-2162 PMID: 23835237 Document Number: 668392
Most of the biomedical research is performed in University Medical Centers (UMC's). Increasingly, however, biomedical research is also done in non-academic large teaching hospitals, united in the Organization for Topclinical Hospitals (STZ) in the Netherlands. The objective of this study was to compare citation scores of biomedical publications from UMC's and STZ hospitals. Bibliometric analysis. The Center for Science and Technology Studies of the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, annually analyzes the volume and quality (reflected by normalized citation scores) of the publications of all UMC's in the Netherland. Recently, also for STZ hospitals a similar analysis has been performed. Research publications from UMC's in the Netherland have normalized mean citation scores that are far above the mean world average. The normalized mean citation score of publications from STZ hospitals is lower when research is done independent of a UMC, whereas research that is a combined effort of UMC's and STZ hospitals has a very high mean normalized citation score. The Netherlands produces a relatively large volume of biomedical research and publications. Based on citation analysis research done in collaboration between UMC's and STZ hospitals has a very high quality. As most STZ hospitals mostly collaborate with a neighbouring UMC, the formation of research networks that overlap with existing teaching and training networks, could provided the necessary infrastructure for further stimulating this collaborative research.