Top-cited dermatology authors publishing in 5 "high-impact" general medical journals.

BACKGROUND In addition to publishing in the dermatologic literature, some dermatologists also publish articles in the general medical journals, which enjoy wide circulation and whose articles are often cited. OBJECTIVE To identify articles and citations to these articles that the most frequently cited authors in the dermatologic literature published in highly cited general medical journals. DESIGN We obtained a citation database from the Institute of Scientific Information, Philadelphia, Pa, that identified all articles published by the top-cited authors in the dermatologic literature in 5 "high-impact" general medical journals. SETTING The 5 high-impact general medical journals with the historically highest impact factors. SUBJECTS Two hundred top-cited authors in dermatology journals and their coauthors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Number of citations to articles published in 5 high-impact general medical journals. RESULTS From 1981 to 1998, 120 of the 200 top-cited dermatology authors published a total of 674 papers in the 5 most highly cited general medical journals. Original articles published in these high-impact general medical journals were cited an average 7.5 times more often than articles published in dermatology journals. CONCLUSIONS Top-cited authors in dermatology journals also frequently publish in the leading 5 high-impact general medical journals. Publications in these journals by dermatologists are often highly cited.