Science thomsonreuters.com

David Pendlebury, citation analyst at Thomson Reuters, spoke to National Public Radio in the USA about the most-cited science of 2008.

Every published scientific paper cites the papers that it is connected to or builds on, and citations are carefully tracked as a measure of research success. In this interview, David was quizzed about the most-cited scientific research of 2008, and he highlighted four hot topics identified by citation analysis:

In biology, cellular autophagy (self digestion), has risen from being the subject about 200 papers in 2004, to almost 1000 papers in 2008, with researchers investigating its role in both disease protection and progression.

In medicine, induced pluripotent stem cells show strong research growth. These cells, first produced in 2006, are seen an important advancement that may enable researchers to obtain pluripotent stem cells for research without using embryos.

In physics/chemistry, graphene—the thinnest material known—is a hot area of research. Graphene consists of a single molecular layer of carbon atoms, and has been used by IBM to create field-effect transistors (FETs).

In chemistry, papers published in 2008 on iron-based superconductors revealed a new family of superconducting compounds that could eventually increase the efficiency of transferring and storing electricity.

David also discussed the Thomson Reuters Nobel Prize predictions, and journal articles that have risen to the ranks of the 'modern classics,' becoming some of the most-cited of all time. David drew on mostly Essential Science Indicators for his analysis—both Hot Papers and Research fronts in Medicine, Molecular Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

Listen to David Pendlebury's interview

Listen to other Science Watch podcasts

• Privacy Policy
• About Us
• Press Room
• Product Logins
• Events
• Contact Us