Bibliometric tools applied to analytical articles: the example of gene transfer-related research.

Purpose - The objective of this study is to conduct a bibliometric indicator and to conduct an analysis of citations per publication of all horizontal gene transfer-related publications in the Science Citation Index (SCI). A systematic search was performed using the SCI for publications during the period 1991-2005. Design/methodology/approach - The data were based on the online version of the Science Citation Index (SCI), Web of Science. Analyzed parameters included authorship, patterns of international collaboration, journal, language, document type, number of times cited, author, and KeyWords Plus. Findings - The USA and Germany produced 57 percent of the total articles and 77 percent of the total times cited in three years after publication. In addition, a simulation model was applied to describe the relationship between the cumulative number of citations and the article life. Originality/value - This is one of the first studies that uses analysis of citations per publication, defined as the ratio of the number of citations per publication in a certain period, to assess the impact relative to the entire field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]