Transgenic organisms are those
organisms which have had genes from unrelated sources transferred into
their genetic sequence. Genetically modified crops are a hot topic in
the scientific world today, both for their potential benefits and
their potential drawbacks. Hoped-for benefits of using genetically
modified crops include disease and pest resistance, improved product
quality, an improved ability to weather environmental stresses, and
the potential for specialized roles in industrial and pharmaceutical
realms. Among the concerns about using transgenic crops are the
potential for pests to develop resistance and the effect transgenic
organisms could have on the natural population. The top 25 papers in
our analysis reflect both the potential benefits and points of
concern. These papers include genetic analyses of transgenic
organisms, experiments examining the rapidity of resistance by pests,
as well as methods to slow down pest resistance. A small fraction of
the papers also deals with medical applications of transgenic plants.
Methodology
To construct this database,
papers were extracted based on title- and author-supplied keywords:
- GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD*
- GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROP*
- TRANSGENIC FOOD*
- TRANSGENIC CROP*
- AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
The baseline time span for this database
is 1992-February 2002. The resulting database contained 822 papers;
1,555
authors; 49 countries; 296 journals; and 570 institutions.
Rankings
Once the database was in place,
it was used to generate the lists of top 25 papers, authors, journals,
institutions, and nations, covering a time span of 1992-February 2002.
The top 25 papers are ranked
according to total cites. Rankings for author, journal, institution,
and country are listed in three ways: according to total
cites, total papers, and total cites/paper.
