Finnish science fares well in international comparison
The number of publications by Finnish authors included in the Thomson Reuters databases more than doubled between the early 1990s and the end of the first decade of the new millennium. Growth has taken place in all major disciplines. The rate of growth has been the highest in the field of technology and the slowest in the field of medicine and health sciences. In relation to the number of publications worldwide, the share of Finland increased until the early 2000s, after which it has remained relatively stable. Between 2006 and 2009, Finland produced more publications per capita than any other OECD country.
The information can be found in a report prepared by the Citation Index Working Group II, which was appointed by the Finnish National Publication Register project. The report scrutinizes the number of publications by Finnish research organizations and their impact based on the publications included in the Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Science (WoS) database and the number of citations received by them between 1990 and 2009.
Out of Finnish research organizations, the University of Helsinki is clearly the most productive publisher. Based on the data, the University of Helsinki is followed by the University of Turku, Aalto University, Helsinki University Central Hospital, the University of Oulu and the University of Eastern Finland. It is noteworthy that the data used is more comprehensive in its coverage of publications by organizations that focus on the fields of natural sciences and medicine.
In the report, the scientific impact of the publications has been described using a relative citation index and the Top-10 index focusing on ten per cent of the worlds most cited publications. Twenty of the Finnish research organizations with the highest publication count between 2006 and 2009 consisted of ten universities, five state research institutes and five university central hospitals. The relative citation index was the highest for the National Institute for Health and Welfare (1.35), MTT Agrifood Research Finland (1.25) and the University of Helsinki (1.19). These institutions also ranked the highest when considering the proportion of publications by Finnish research organisations in the top ten per cent of the worlds most cited publications. It is should also be noted that the Top-10 index for research organizations positioned after Aalto University (eight position) is significantly lower than the proportion of organizations with a higher listing.
The report observes the full picture of the development of publication activities in Finland and compares Finlands productivity and impact in the area of publications to other OECD countries. It has, for the first time, assessed the international status of research produced by Finnish research organizations. In addition, the report also includes a Top-20 listing of Finnish research organizations.
Report from the Finnish Citation Index Working Group II, Reports of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland 2012:18