Summary
This bibliometric study examined evidence of 'academic drift'—the phenomenon whereby academic incentive structures favour high-impact basic science publications over application-oriented research—within the dental research field using Web of Science citation network analysis from 2000–2015 across seven countries. The analysis found that 85.5% of references in dental journals cite only other dental journals, indicating limited knowledge exchange with non-dental fields, whilst the research output of dental institutes in dental research declined even as their basic science activity increased. The findings suggest that institutional incentives for academic prestige have created an imbalance in the dental research portfolio that may undermine the translation of research into improvements in dental healthcare services.
UK applicability
The findings are relevant to UK research governance and funding bodies (UKRI, NIHR) insofar as they illustrate how research evaluation metrics and journal impact factors can unintentionally disincentivise clinically relevant research. UK dental research institutes and policy-makers may use these results to inform research strategy, funding priorities, and academic reward systems to better align research portfolios with healthcare needs.
Key measures
Percentage of references in dental journals citing other dental journals (85.5%); share of dental research institute output in dental research (declining); research activity distribution across dental research, clinical medicine, basic science, public health and other fields
Outcomes reported
The study analysed citation networks and research output patterns in dental research across seven countries from 2000–2015, measuring the proportion of dental research institute output directed towards dental versus basic science research and the degree of knowledge exchange between dental and non-dental research fields.
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