47 France's scientific publications

In 2014, France accounted for 3.3% of worldwide scientific publications in all subject areas combined. Although French research shows a marked specialisation in the broad subject area of Mathematics and that of 'Astronomy and Astrophysics', its publications are most cited at international level in the subject areas of 'Agriculture and Plant Biology', 'Civil and Mining Engineering' and 'Agri-Food'.

In 2014, France accounted for 3.3% of scientific publications produced worldwide in all subject areas combined and its share of immediate citations (after two years) was 3.8%. At 1.12, its immediate impact index (ratio of its share of citations to its share of publications) is higher than the worldwide average which is 1 by definition (chart 47.01).

In the early 1990s, the share of worldwide publications produced by France increased to more than 5% in 1995, after which it remained stable. From 1999, this share fell continuously, due in large part to the arrival of new countries on the international scientific scene. This marked decline from 1999 to 2005 slowed between 2005 and 2010, but has become more noticeable since 2010, when it resumed the trend observed in the early 2000s. Its world share of citations after 2 years also fell during this period, albeit to a lesser extent. As a result, France's impact index has improved significantly over the period as a whole, increasing from 0.91 in 1993 to 1.12 in 2014.

France's disciplinary profile has changed little between 2009 and 2014. It appears balanced, with the exception of a marked specialisation in Mathematics (where it has a specialisation index of 1.57) and despecialisation in Social Sciences (where it has an index of 0.57). Its specialisation indices are greater than 1 in Physics and Astro-sciences and lower than 1 in Applied Biology - Ecology and Chemistry (chart 47.02). Over the period, France increased its specialisation index in Social Sciences (+17%) and Astro-Sciences (+7%). By contrast, its specialisation factors in Chemistry fell by 6%.

In 2014, with the exception of Social Sciences, Humanities and Mathematics, the visibility of French publications (observed impact index) and that of the scientific journals in which they were published (expected impact index) were higher than the worldwide average in all subject areas. The average visibility of French publications was highest in the fields of Applied Biology and Ecology and, to a lesser degree, Astro-Sciences, Chemistry and Physics. It was also in these broad subject areas, together with Engineering Sciences, that French publications appeared in journals with higher international visibility. Between 2009 and 2014, France's observed impact index and expected impact index increased for all major subject areas, with the exception of Mathematics and Engineering Sciences. The visibility of French publications and that of the journals in which they were published increased most in the fields of Medical Research, Applied Biology and Ecology and Social Sciences and Humanities (table 47.03).

In 2014, France accounted for more than 5% of worldwide publications in Mathematics and 'Astronomy and Astrophysics' (table 47.04a). However, between 2009 and 2014, France's share of worldwide publications declined in most of its top ten publication subject areas in Life and Physical Sciences.

In 2014, France's impact index was greater than 1.25 in five subject areas (table 47.04b). Between 2009 and 2014, the visibility of French publications increased overall in the subject areas in which it is most visible and, in particular, by more than 15% in 'Civil and Mining Engineering' and 'Surgery, Gastro-enterology, urology'. France had a strong presence and its publications were most visible in 'Geosciences' and 'General Physics'.

Tessa Enock Levi, Françoise Laville, Chris Roth & Marie-Laure Taillibert