Editorial pubs.acs.org/JPCL
Building Physical Chemistry with BRICKs
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We also compared the BRICK contributions in a few representative physical chemistry/chemical physics journals (Figure 2A) from four other (non-ACS) publishers. The number of papers collectively published in these journals per year (5346−6491) is similar in magnitude to that published in all four JPC journals. The overall BRICK contribution of 29% in 2013 in these non-ACS journals is similar to what we have seen in JPC for the last 5 years. However, these four journals have seen an increase in published BRICK papers from 19 to 29% during that period. Figure 2B shows the contributions of the individual BRICK countries in each of the four journals in 2013. The observed trends among the individual BRICK countries is similar to that in JPC, with China dominating the contributions (12−21%) followed by India, South Korea, Russia, and Brazil, with contributions ranging from 8 down to 1%. There are two facts that emerge from this analysis. The first is the strong competitive nature of BRICKs in publishing highquality scientific research in the major physical chemistry journals. The second one is the dominance of China among BRICKs in capturing a significant fraction of the published papers. Both research funding and human capital are major
razil, Russia, India, China, and Korea, collectively referred to as the BRICK countries, are an emerging force in scientific research. Thomson Reuters recently assessed the role of BRICKs and reported that China, by far, has stimulated the most significant increase in the numbers of researchers and publications across the various scientific disciplines. 1 The other BRICK countries are showing an increasing rate of scientific contributions as well and are playing a major role in the advancement of research objectives. In order to assess the role of BRICKs in physical chemistry, we have evaluated their contributions to The Journal of Physical Chemistry A/B/C/Letters (JPC) over the last 5 years. The results are shown in Figures 1A and B. This shows that BRICK contributions have remained steady at about 26−29% of total publications during this period. Out of 7000 ± 300 papers published each year during this period, the BRICK contribution is comparable to that of North America and Europe. The contributions of the individual BRICK countries vary, with China leading the pack at 14% followed by India (5%), South Korea (3%), Russia (2%), and Brazil (1%).
Figure 1. (A) Total numbers of papers published by BRICKs versus the total number of all papers during the last 5 years. (B) Contributions of individual BRICK countries during 2013 in JPC A/B/C/L (Source: Web of Science, Thomson Reuters).
Figure 2. (A) Total number of all papers and BRICK contributions in four representative journals (J. Chem. Phys., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., ChemPhysChem, and Chem. Phys. Lett.). (B) 2013 published papers of individual BRICK countries in four representative journals. The numbers in parentheses in the legend are the total numbers of published papers (Source: Web of Science, Thomson Reuters).
Published: November 20, 2014 © 2014 American Chemical Society
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Editorial
players in research output. Among BRICKs, only China has maintained a steady increase in research funding at a level greater than 2.5% GDP.1 The number of fulltime researchers engaged in research in China is also significantly larger (>1 million in 2010) than that in the other BRICKs.1 This remarkable surge by China in research funding has enabled them to be a leading contributor to scientific publications across chemistry and other disciplines. While we continue to see the growth of publications from BRICK countries, it is important to consider the long-term effect of this on scientific research. According to the Thomson Reuters report, “The BRICK nations represent the most significant growing influence in the global economy and research landscape.”1 The impact of papers coming out of BRICK countries has significantly increased since 1990. Many BRICK papers are now included among the most cited papers, as was reported in the recent release of the most cited researchers list by Thomson Reuters.2 Their overall impact, however, still lags behind G7 countries. Out of 393 researchers in the category of chemistry on the list, 224 (57%) are from the U.S.A., 44 (11%) are from the U.K., and 16 (4%) are from Germany. Only three BRICK countries made the list with 30 (8%) researchers from China, 6 (2%) researchers from Korea, and 1 researcher from India. The long-term impact of BRICK growth to scientific research comes from innovative and cutting-edge discoveries. The recent surge of high-quality research emerging from BRICK countries shows their resolve to address this challenge, and we expect to see further significant gains in BRICK science in the next decade.
Prashant V. Kamat, Deputy Editor
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States
George C. Schatz, Editor-in-Chief
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Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
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REFERENCES
(1) Adams, J.; Pendlebury, D.; Stembridge, B. Global Research Report: Building BRICKs FEBRUARY 2013; Thomson Reuters: New York, 2013; sciencewatch.com/sites/sw/files/sw-article/media/grr-brick.pdf. (2) Highly Cited Researchers 2014; Thomson Reuters: New York, 2014; http://highlycited.com/.
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EDITOR'S NOTE The data analysis and plots in Figures 1 and 2 were compiled by Ms. Constance Biegel, Coordinating Editor, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. This data analysis was part of the presentation, “Building BRICK by BRICK sometimes works: How ACS Editors’ participation in ACS on Campus has brought publishing best practices to thousands of authors in BRICKS countries, an overview of challenges and successes” at the 248th ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, August 10−14, 2014.
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