Bibliometric tools applied to analytical articles: the example of gene transfer-related research Donghui Wen College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China, and Te-Chen Yu and Yuh-Shan Ho Bibliometric Research Centre, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Abstract Purpose – The objective of this study is to conduct a bibliometric indicator and to conduct an analysis of citations per publication of all horizontal gene transfer-related publications in the Science Citation Index (SCI). A systematic search was performed using the SCI for publications during the period 1991-2005. Design/methodology/approach – The data were based on the online version of the Science Citation Index (SCI), Web of Science. Analyzed parameters included authorship, patterns of international collaboration, journal, language, document type, number of times cited, author, and KeyWords Plus. Findings – The USA and Germany produced 57 percent of the total articles and 77 percent of the total times cited in three years after publication. In addition, a simulation model was applied to describe the relationship between the cumulative number of citations and the article life. Originality/value – This is one of the first studies that uses analysis of citations per publication, defined as the ratio of the number of citations per publication in a certain period, to assess the impact relative to the entire field. Keywords Serials, Genetics, Research results, Publishing Paper type Research paper Introduction Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), or lateral gene transfer (LGT), is the collective name for processes that permit the exchange of DNA among organisms of different species (Jain et al., 2003). In the reproduction strategies of a replicon, vertical transfer of chromosome is the faithful way of increasing the genotype of a species, while horizontal transfer of transposon, plasmids or viruses provides the chance of creating a recombinant genotype by contributing to the genome of a neighbor recipient cell (Heinemann, 1998; Brown, 2003). The earliest mention of HGT can be traced to 1905, when Merechowsky suggested that the eukaryotic mitochondria and chloroplast originated when bacteria invaded the eukaryotic cell and were subsequently incorporated by it (Syvanen and Kado, 1998). In the 1950s, upon the previous attempts of demonstrating recombination between diverse species of bacteria, Baron et al. (1959) and Miyake and Demerec (1959) reported that high frequency of recombination (Hfr) strains of Escherichia coli could transfer genetic information to certain mutant strains of Salmonella typhimurium. Ochiai et al. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1065-075X.htm OCLC 25,3 186 Received December 2008 Reviewed January 2009 Accepted January 2009 OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives Vol. 25 No. 3, 2009 pp. 186-199 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1065-075X DOI 10.1108/10650750910982575