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Table 1 The contribution of regions to the research literature in five leading journals

From: Under-representation of developing countries in the research literature: ethical issues arising from a survey of five leading medical journals

  BMJ Lancet NEJM JAMA ANNALS Total
Editorials 261   3504   124   102   39   876  
UK 160 61.4% 167 47.7% 10 8.0% 02 1.9% 01 2.4% 340 38.8%
USA 38 14.6% 87 24.9% 97 78.3% 97 95.0% 35 90.0% 354 40.4%
OEAC1 56 21.4% 89 25.4% 14 11.3% 02 1.9% 03 7.6% 164 18.7%
RoW2 07 2.6% 07 2.0 % 03 2.4% 01 0.9% 00 0.0% 18 2.6%
Original papers 322   307   218   227   115   1189  
UK 216 67.0% 66 21.5 % 06 2.7% 04 1.8% 03 2.6% 295 24.8%
USA 22 7.0% 38 12.4% 107 49.1% 173 76.2% 81 70.4% 421 35.4%
OEAC 76 23.6% 136 44.3 % 78 35.8% 42 18.5% 23 20.0% 355 29.9%
RoW 08 2.4% 67 21.8% 27 12.4% 08 3.5% 08 7.0% 118 9.9%
Correspondence 1118   10435   894   605   251   3911  
UK 829 74% 374 35.8% 30 3.4% 13 2.1% 04 1.6% 1250 32%
USA 69 6% 141 13.5% 601 67.2% 506 83.6% 183 72.9% 1500 38.4%
OEAC 174 16% 400 38.3% 212 23.7% 71 11.7% 49 19.5% 906 23.2%
RoW 46 4% 128 12.2% 51 5.7% 15 2.5% 15 6.0% 255 6.5%
Review articles 286   50   65   36   66   503  
UK 195 68.2% 17 34% 04 6.2% 01 2.7% 01 1.6% 218 43.3%
USA 29 10.2% 15 30% 48 73.8% 28 78.0% 61 92.4% 181 36%
OEAC 54 18.8% 14 28% 13 20.0% 04 11.1% 04 6.0% 89 17.7%
RoW 08 2.8% 04 08% 00 0.0% 03 8.2% 00 0.0% 15 3%
Others3 47   208   149   145   27   576  
UK 31 66.0% 68 32.8% 03 02.0% 00 00.0% 00 00.0% 102 17.7%
USA 08 17.0% 34 16.3% 118 79.3% 120 82.7% 25 92.6% 305 53%
OEAC 04 8.5% 78 37.5% 22 14.7 % 16 11.0% 01 3.7% 121 21%
RoW 04 8.5% 28 13.4% 06 4.0% 09 6.2% 01 3.7% 48 8.3%
Global total 2034   1958   1450   1115   498   7055  
RoW total 73 3.6% 234 12% 87 6% 36 3.2% 24 4.8% 454 6.4 %
  1. 1. OEAC (Other Euro-American countries), OEAC were European countries other than the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
  2. 2. RoW comprised all other countries (i.e. all countries in Eastern Europe, Central and South America, Asia and Africa)
  3. 3. Others include: for The Lancet: case reports, view points, public letters, essays, public health, violence in health, department of medical history, the world, world ideas, health and human rights, development of ethics, eponymous, clinical picture, reportage, adverse drug reactions, personal papers, medicine and law, personal papers; for the JAMA: Patients relationships, grand rounds, clinical cross roads, rational clinical examinations, medicine and media, commentary, updates, letters from counters, public opinion and health, medical literature, health law and ethics, clinical cross roads; for the NEJM: images, clinical problem solving, case records from Massachusetts general hospital, clinical implications of basic research, sounding board, clinical problem solving, special articles, for the BMJ: drug point, practice and results, quality of life, history, practice point, lessons of every week; for the Annals: past present and future, time and medicine, social means of medicine, technology of time, personal time, media and publication, NIH conference, in the balance, abroad.
  4. 4. The Lancet had 52 editorials and 298 commentaries. Editorials were written in house.
  5. 5. The Lancet had 262 research letters. We did not include these either in the correspondence or with the Original papers category. Other journals did not have such a category to compare.
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BMC Medical Ethics

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