Science Map

SideLines, July 2007

The Science Map (2004) is a study of publishing efforts in 'hot' research areas (1999-2004) using a bibliometric method to survey literature worldwide (Science and Technology Foresight Center, National Institute of Science and Technology). T. Kurosawa in the Asahi Shimbun (26th July 2007) summarises the main findings: Japan is ahead in high-tech fields but lagging in social sciences. Looking at the original report, no mention of language of publication is mentioned.

The entire survey is thus rendered meaningless, because the presence of Japan-based research across international, English-language publications may vary markedly according to discipline, and may have little relation to local or overall research effort, in what is one of the largest economies in the world.

Have similar surveys been conducted across Japanese-language research publications?

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