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Applied versus basic science in the literature of plant biology: A bibliometric perspective

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Abstract

Applied and basic approaches to scientific inquiry were compared through a bibliometric analysis of two Canadian journals in plant biology. No differences were found between the journals in the distribution of citations across different sections of research articles (that is, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion). Moreover, no contrasts were found in the frequency of multiple authorships or in the age distribution of cited works. However, the journals differed significantly on three other bibliometric measures: author affiliation, number of references per article, and publication format of cited works.

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  1. Library, Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, TOJ OYO, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada

    L. O. Nordstrom

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  1. L. O. Nordstrom
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Nordstrom, L.O. Applied versus basic science in the literature of plant biology: A bibliometric perspective. Scientometrics 12, 381–393 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02016681

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