The research activity of Russia in the field of natural sciences at the turn of the century (1993-2002): Bibliometric analysis
The paper presents a comparative analysis of Russian research activity against the background of 25 leading countries of the world during 1993-1997 and 1998-2002. It demonstrates the structure of the Russian scientific corps and discusses the Russian positions (rankings) in the 17 fields of scientific knowledge with respect to world publications. The dynamics of development of particular branches of natural sciences during 1998-2002 is shown on the basis of data from the database Journal Citation Reports Science Edition by using calculated standard impact factors of these disciplines (Ig). The position of Russia among Post-communist European countries and republics of the former USSR is being considered. The citation analysis of publications by Russian authors has been carried out by using following indicators: (1) % of cited papers; (2) average number of references to a publication (Citation impact); (3) the relative citation index or RCI. The Conclusion offers comparative analysis of research activity of different countries over the decade. The database ISI/Thomson Reuters National Science Indicators (NSIOD) for the period of 1981-2002 has provided the material for the investigation.