OST data show physics research may be rebounding

New research by the Observatoire des science et des technologies (OST) suggests that a decline in Canadian physics research when compared to Canada’s other scientific disciplines may be over. Drawing on its Canadian Bibliometric Database, the OST shows that in 1994, the physics’ 3.5% share of Canadian scientific articles dropped to 2.2% in 1999 before regaining ground in 2000 to 2.7%. Between 1990 and 1994, physics papers grew faster than the world average. The drop between 1995 and 1999 corresponds with federal program review and does not reflect the massive investments made in university research after 1997. In 2000, 50% of Canadian physics papers were produced in Ontario, followed by Quebec (22%), British Columbia (14%), Alberta (8%) and Nova Scotia (3%). FMI: www.ost.uqam.ca….