An Examination of CAM Journals in the Journal Citation Reports

Background . During the last decade, research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown substantially. Few studies have investigated the quantity and impact of peer-reviewed complementary and alternative medicine publications longitudinally. Objective . To quantitatively examine peer-reviewed CAM publications in the Journal Citation Reports from 2000 to 2008. Design and Setting . We performed descriptive analyses of journals in the "integrative & complementary medicine" subject category published in the annual Journal Citation Reports by Thomson Reuters from 2000 to 2008. For comparison, we also extracted data from journals in the "general internal medicine" (GIM) subject category for each year. Primary Outcome Measures . Annual total number of articles published, total citations, and journal impact factor. Results . The number of CAM journals increased from seven to 13, and consequently, the total number of articles published in CAM journals doubled from 2000 to 2008. During the 9-year time span, the total citations of CAM journals increased by 488%, and the mean journal impact factor of CAM journals increased from 0.71 to 1.60. Although the mean journal impact factor of GIM journals was twice that of CAM journals, the median journal impact factors were similar between CAM and GIM journals. Conclusion . The number of peer-reviewed CAM journals and cites in the Journal Citation Reports has increased significantly during the past decade. However, there remain a small number of journals specifically devoted to CAM research. (Altern Ther Health Med. 2011;17(5):38-42.)