Estimating research productivity and quality in assistive technology: a bibliometric analysis spanning four decades

Objective: Conduct a quantitative assessment of the number of papers contained in MEDLINE related to selected types of assistive technology (AT), and to identify journals publishing significant numbers of papers related to AT, and evaluate them with quantitative productivity and quality measures. Design: Consecutive sample of all papers in MEDLINE identified by standard medical subject headings for selected types of AT from 1963-2003. Main Outcome Measures: Number of journals carrying AT papers, papers per journal (both total number and those specific to AT), journal impact factor, circulation, and number of AT citations per year over time for each area of AT. Results: We present search terms, estimates of the numbers of AT citations in MEDLINE, the journals most likely to contain articles related to AT, journal impact factors, and journal circulations (when available). We also present the number of citations in various areas of AT over time from 1963-2003. Suggestions are presented for possible future modifications of the MEDLINE controlled vocabulary, based on terminology used in existing AT classifications schemes, such as ISO 9999. Conclusion: Research papers in the areas of AT examined showed publication across a wide variety of journals. There are a number of journals publishing articles in AT that have impact factors above the median. Some areas of AT have shown an increase in publications per year over time, while others have shown a more constant level of productivity.