The Canadian contribution to the otolaryngology literature: a five year bibliometric analysis

Objectives: To assess the 2008-2012 Canadian contribution to the Otolaryngology literature. Methods: All articles published from January 2008 - December 2012 in 5 Otolaryngology journals were reviewed. Nationality, number of authors, and study type were extracted. The output, number of authors, and study type of Canadian papers were compared to International papers using Mantel-Haenszel Common Odds Ratio Estimate, Pearson's Chi-Squared or Fishers exact tests. Results: 4519 papers were analyzed. There was a statistically significant decrease in Canadian authored papers from 12.8% in 2008-9 to 10.2% in 2011-12 (Fishers exact, p = .01). Multi-authorship increased in Canadian papers (X2, p = .01). The types of studies published by Canadian Otolaryngologists did not change over the study period. Conclusions: Canadian authored papers in a sample of Otolaryngology journals decreased from 2008 to 2012. The increase in multiauthorship, whilst indicating increasing collaboration, suggests reduced per capita publication productivity. These findings warrant further study.