June 30, 2009
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies garnered the top discovery spot in the latest international ranking in the category “Neuroscience and Behavior” by Science Watch, a scientific organization that measures the citation impact of research published worldwide. Citations are an important measure of the value and influence of scientists’ work and reflect the impact made by that work on scientific understanding.
“The importance of this ranking is conferred by the judgment of peers in the same field, who mark the research of Salk scientists as points of departure for their own work,” says Salk president William R. Brody. “Paper for paper they wield tremendous influence and set the direction for the future.”
Naturally, big institutions publishing large numbers of papers have a greater likelihood of collecting more citations than smaller institutions publishing fewer papers. In order to reveal the “heavy hitters” based on per paper influence, not mere overall output, all rankings are based on citation per paper.
Science Watch, produced by Thomson Reuters in Philadelphia, openly publishes institutional impact scores for different areas of science only intermittently, but in the company’s online evaluation system Essential Science Indicators and related databases, the Salk Institute consistently emerges in top spots. Last year, for example, it ranked second worldwide in the category “Molecular Biology and Genetics”.
“The consistency of our high rankings at the Salk Institute reaffirms our belief in the power of curiosity, creativity and problem-driven science,” says Brody. “The international impact of our faculty’s work reveals the extraordinary quality of Salk science.”
The Science Watch rankings draw upon publication and citation date from Thomson Reuter’s Essential Science Indicators database, which covers the last ten years and surveys original research reports and review articles.
To view the complete Science Watch listings please click here for:
Neuroscience and Behavior (http://sciencewatch.com/dr/sci/09/apr26-09_1D/)
Molecular Biology and Genetics (http://sciencewatch.com/dr/sci/08/may25-08_4/)
Acerca del Instituto Salk de Estudios Biológicos: El Instituto Salk de Estudios Biológicos es una de las instituciones de investigación básica más destacadas del mundo, donde un cuerpo docente de prestigio internacional investiga cuestiones fundamentales de las ciencias de la vida en un entorno único, colaborativo y creativo. Centrados tanto en el descubrimiento como en la formación de las futuras generaciones de investigadores, los científicos del Salk realizan contribuciones revolucionarias a nuestra comprensión del cáncer, el envejecimiento, el Alzheimer, la diabetes y las enfermedades cardiovasculares mediante el estudio de la neurociencia, la genética, la biología celular y vegetal, y otras disciplinas relacionadas.
Los logros del cuerpo docente han sido reconocidos con numerosos galardones, entre los que se incluyen premios Nobel y la pertenencia a la Academia Nacional de Ciencias. Fundado en 1960 por el Dr. Jonas Salk, pionero en la vacuna contra la poliomielitis, el Instituto es una organización independiente sin fines de lucro y un hito arquitectónico.
Oficina de Comunicaciones
Tel.: (858) 453-4100
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