Nature Publishing Index 2012 Global

ORIGINAL: Nature

We are delighted to present the first global overview of high quality research output from the world’s many countries and institutions based on the Nature Publishing Index (NPI), which tracks the number and affiliations of primary research articles published in 18 Nature-branded journals. 

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Created in 2009 to focus on the Asia-Pacific region, the NPI now covers the entire world. Using the Index, we are able to track output by institution and country. The NPI is a unique resource that spans all types of research institutions — not only universities but government research institutes and private sector companies.

What are the most noteworthy messages from this supplement? Unsurprisingly, the United States dominates the rankings, being home to five of the top ten research institutions in the NPI. What is more striking is the rapid rise of China, which has nine institutions in The Top 200 — up from just three a year earlier. China is now clipping the heels of France in the country rankings. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has, as of January 2013, surpassed the University of Tokyo as the top institution in the Asia-Pacific. Despite its dire economic circumstances, Ireland is emerging as a rising star — jumping from 30th to 20th in the NPI between 2008 and 2012. Similarly, Brazil has moved up seven places to 27th. Saudi Arabia and Kenya also stand out as newly emerging players in the Index.

Our interpretations and presentations of the NPI data are not definitive. Users are free to access the NPI online, read the abstracts of the papers on which it is based, and derive their own interpretations of the data (provided they acknowledge the NPI as the source). To that end, we strive to make the Index and the methodology behind it as transparent as possible: the underlying data for the past year can be viewed on the NPI website at nature.asia/publishing-index-global. We hope the analysis presented here will stimulate further use of the NPI by institutions and individuals, and we welcome your feedback.

David Swinbanks
Managing Director, Regional Markets and Science & Medical Communications,
Nature Publishing Group
Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand,
Macmillan Science and Education

Contents
1 Opening. By David Swinbanks
2 The world of science. An overview of a growing world of scientific achievement
4 United States. A player without peer, the undisputed leader continues to dominate
8 United Kingdom- As budget cuts hit blue-sky research, scientists must do more with less
10 Germany. Integration strategies aim to bring more institutions to an elite level
14 Japan. Newly elected president sets science as a top priority
20 France. Education and employment law reforms create divisions in science
24 Five countries to watch. A look at fast risers in the NPI: China, Ireland, Brazil, Kenya and Saudi Arabia
30 A guide to the NPI. How to navigate the index to get the best out of it
32 Global top 200. The great and the good of the world’s research institutions
38 Top 10 countries by journal. Countries show their strength in different disciplines
40 Top 5 institutions by journal. The breakdown reinforces the existence of an elite set of organizations
42 Top 100 countries. The world’s most scientifically productive nations

Interactive graphic
How countries compare

The Nature Publishing Index (NPI) Global ranks countries and institutions according to their output of primary research articles in the 18 Nature research journals. This graphic allows comparison of countries by corrected count or article count in each of the four main subject areas, and in each of the past 5 years. The graphic only includes the top 30 countries overall. The NPI Global supplement lists the Global Top 100.

Article count 2012 All fields

* Mouse over a bar to reveal exact count

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