Scientific Articles in International Journals: A Key Criterion for Assessing a Nation’s Innovative Capability, According to the United Nations
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United Nations World Investment Report 2005 |
According to the annual United Nations World Investment Report released in September 2005 (with the theme “Transnational Corporations and the Internationalization of R&D”), the innovation index was evaluated for 117 countries worldwide.
Instead of focusing solely on R&D investment (input), the number of articles published in international scientific journals (output) has become a fundamental component of this complex index. Vietnam jumped from 93rd out of 117 in 1995 to 82nd in 2001, thanks to advancements in education. However, Vietnam remains among the countries with lower innovation capabilities, trailing behind two groups of countries with higher and medium levels of development (comprising 78 countries).
To date, articles published in international journals have not been officially regarded as an important criterion to strive for in the management of science in our country.
Nonetheless, based on the aforementioned perspective in the UN report, it is crucial for us to evaluate our achievements in the international scientific arena over the past decade and draw lessons to improve our position in the future.
In line with the spirit of the report, the following discussion will focus on original scientific articles available in the 5,969 journals included in the Web of Science database of ISI (Institute of Scientific Information) based in Philadelphia, USA. This encompasses hundreds of disciplines in natural sciences, technology, social sciences, humanities, and arts research. While it may not be entirely comprehensive, it provides a holistic view of a modern scientific landscape.
Besides articles, the ISI database includes various other types such as letters, book reviews, meeting abstracts, etc. However, we will only focus on articles, as they represent the latest research achievements published by reputable publishers and peer-reviewed by the most esteemed scientists in their respective fields.
There are a few publishers from Taiwan, China, India, and South Korea. However, it seems that no journals published in Vietnam, even those in English, have made it into this database.
Vietnamese Articles in International Journals Remain Few
Currently, it is estimated that around 800,000 articles across 21 fields of science and technology are published annually in nearly 6,000 international journals compiled in the ISI database, along with citation counts for each article. The United States leads with approximately 300,000 articles (this number is so large that a precise count is difficult), followed by Japan (75,000), and advanced countries with longstanding scientific traditions such as Germany (66,000), the UK (59,000), France (47,000), and populous nations like China (57,000).
Over the past decade (1995-2004), the number of scientific articles with Vietnamese addresses published in international journals increased from 204 in 1995 to 456 in 2004, totaling 3,236 articles. However, more than 2,400 of these articles (over three-quarters) are co-authored with foreign writers, leaving only nearly 800 as “purely Vietnamese,” primarily produced from domestic resources. This figure has stagnated at around 80 articles per year for the past several years (see Figure 1).
The fields of mathematics and theoretical physics account for 54% of the articles generated from domestic resources, not counting mathematical works appearing in computer science and mechanics. Most authors work at the Institute of Mathematics (300 articles) and the Center for Theoretical Physics (131 articles), both part of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. There are 124 articles on mathematics and 31 articles on theoretical physics attributed to various universities, especially from lesser-known institutions in Quy Nhon, Thai Nguyen, etc. While these numbers are impressive, they still do not correspond to the large number of educators in our country.
The average citation count for articles utilizing domestic resources over the past decade is 1.7, while those produced in collaboration with foreign partners reach 7.5. Half of the articles using domestic resources received no citations at all.
Fewer than half of the remaining articles belong to experimental, applied, and technological fields, which require equipment, infrastructure, and numerous participants.
Unlike theoretical works, experimental scientific research conducted in Vietnam often faces many objective difficulties, making it a significant achievement to be published in international journals. Therefore, it is understandable why we have more theoretical articles than experimental ones. However, our situation starkly contrasts with neighboring countries, where mathematics and theoretical physics typically rank at the bottom, while experimental, applied, and technological sciences directly impacting their economies are at the forefront.
Lack of Breakthroughs in Science Budget Increases Since 2000
While the number of articles produced through international collaboration has exponentially increased, doubling every 5.5 years, domestically produced works have stagnated at around 80 annually. Notably, there is no clear evidence of the significant increase in investment for science and technology to 2% of the national budget starting in 2000 (scientists should also question their responsibilities in this regard).
The statistics above highlight the state of research and development (R&D) activities in our country. Managers will undoubtedly draw many valid conclusions to inform the upcoming policies regarding the reform of science and technology management mechanisms.
Who Are the Writers?
Vietnam currently has nearly 20 scientists, each of whom has published more than 10 works in the past decade (not including co-authored articles with foreigners or conference publications).
One-third of these “writers” are frequently cited by peers, averaging between 3 to 12 citations for each of their works. They represent the pinnacle of Vietnamese science, yet they are only considered “average” on a global scale. Many may be surprised to see few mentions of them in the information provided in Table 1.
Pham Duy Hien
