The Institute for Statistics (UIS) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has published a study of bibliometric data which indicates that scientific publications by developed countries have declined in the last 20 years while some developing regions, specifically Asia and Latin America, have increased their contributions and other developing regions, specifically Africa, declined dramatically. According to the study, bibliometric indicators, which are counts of scientific publications and the citations they receive, are a good proxy for overall scientific output. The study attributes the declining publication rates in developed countries to the EU’s decision to pursue basic research instead of technological development and their lack of interest in defense research and development in comparison to the U.S. It attributes the growth in publications from developing countries to a rise in collaborations with scientists from developed nations. The study says that the data suggests that newly-industrialized nations in Asia are specializing in physics, chemistry, and engineering while other developing countries are concentrating on bio-medical research and Africa is focusing on biology, specifically food and agricultural sciences. The study can be viewed online at the link below.
Site – http://www.uis.unesco.org
