January 15, 2003
La Jolla, CA – The Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been ranked as one of the nation’s leaders in molecular biology and genetics research by a publication that monitors trends and performances in basic research.
The January/February 2003 issue of ;Science Watch analyzed the impact of scientific papers published in major journals, including ;Science and ;Nature. ;Science Watch focused on a 10-year period spanning from 1992 to 2002, and “identified institutions whose published papers in molecular biology and genetics collectively garnered at least 50,000 citations during the decade.”
The Salk Institute ranked number one in total citations per paper (82.66), reflecting the impact of the institute’s scientists on a national and international level. For comparison, the Salk Institute was followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at 77.37, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory with 76.62, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 64.77. In addition, the Salk Institute ranked number two in percent of highly cited papers (7.46). The Salk trailed only Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (7.82) and ranked higher than MIT (6.42), Harvard University (4.01), and Stanford University (3.79), among others.
“These results are a testimony to the world-class work of Salk faculty, postdoctoral students, and graduate students,” said Richard A. Murphy, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Salk Institute. “Over the past decade, Salk researchers have made major contributions to the body of scientific knowledge, and we are pleased to see their accomplishments acknowledged, in a quantifiable way, by Science Watch.”
In the cover article, titled “Heavyweights in Molecular Biology/Genetics: For Some, A High Percentage of Elite Papers,” the editors at Science Watch conclude: “In the case of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Salk Institute, and others, smaller size proved to be no handicap in producing a high proportion of superstar papers.”
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