Authors and other experts reflect on the articles that made Journal history
From flares to hotpants to shoulder pads, we all know how fashions change over time: but what about trends in citations? Ten years ago, as part of the 90th birthday celebrations of the Medical Journal of Australia, then Deputy Editor Ann Gregory examined the top 10 most-cited articles as of 2004.1 Now celebrating our 100th birthday, the current editorial team have looked again at the most-cited articles, using the Web of Science (Thomson Reuters) citation analysis tool, which examines citations from 1949 to 2014 (Box). Since 2004, Cade2 has been supplanted in the number one position by the Quality in Australian Health Care Study,3 although Cade remains in the top 10. The new entrants in many ways reflect current issues in health care: the rise in awareness of non-communicable diseases such as obesity and mental illness; the challenge of innovation in health care delivery; and the greater value placed on quality evidence from clinical trials in medicine. Several authors of the top 10 articles and other experts in their respective fields have submitted short perspectives on their top 10 articles. We invite you to toast their success: a glass of Helicobacter pylori is optional.
The current top 10 most-cited articles* in the Medical Journal of Australia
Wilson RM, Runciman WB, Gibberd RW, et al. The Quality in Australian Health Care Study. Med J Aust 1995; 163: 458-471.
Marshall BJ, Armstrong JA, McGechie DB, Glancy RJ. Attempt to fulfil Koch's postulates for pyloric Campylobacter. Med J Aust 1985; 142: 436-439.
Marshall BJ, McGechie DB, Rogers PA, Glancy RJ. Pyloric Campylobacter infection and gastroduodenal disease. Med J Aust 1985; 142: 439-444.
Cade JFJ. Lithium salts in the treatment of psychotic excitement. Med J Aust 1949; 2: 349-352.
Jorm AF, Korten AE, Jacomb PA, et al. “Mental health literacy”: a survey of the public's ability to recognise mental disorders and their beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment. Med J Aust 1997; 166: 182-186.
Cameron AJ, Welborn TA, Zimmet PZ, et al. Overweight and obesity in Australia: the 1999–2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). Med J Aust 2003; 178: 427-432.
Plint AC, Moher D, Morrison A, et al. Does the CONSORT checklist improve the quality of reports of randomised controlled trials? A systematic review. Med J Aust 2006; 185: 263-267.
Grol R, Wensing M. What drives change? Barriers to and incentives for achieving evidence-based practice. Med J Aust 2004; 180 (6 Suppl): S57-S60.
Bellomo R, Goldsmith D, Uchino S, et al. A prospective before-and-after trial of a medical emergency team. Med J Aust 2003; 179: 283-287.
Bower C, Stanley FJ. Dietary folate as a risk factor for neural tube defects: evidence from a case–control study in Western Australia. Med J Aust 1989; 150: 613-619.
* As at 12 May 2014. Source: Web of Science (Thomson Reuters).
- Diana R McKay1
- Medical Journal of Australia, Sydney, NSW.
- 1. Gregory AT. Jewels in the crown: The Medical Journal of Australia's 10 most-cited articles. Med J Aust 2004; 181: 9-12. <MJA full text>
- 2. Cade JFJ. Lithium salts in the treatment of psychotic excitement. Med J Aust 1949; 2: 349-352.
- 3. Wilson RM, Runciman WB, Gibberd RW, et al. The Quality in Australian Health Care Study. Med J Aust 1995; 163: 458-471.