Use of google scholar public profiles in orthopedics: Rate of growth and changing international patterns

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to survey the growth of Google Scholar public profiles in orthopedics over a 12-month period and to investigate global patterns. Methods: Data was prospectively acquired from June 2013 to June 2014. Google Scholar queries specific to orthopedic surgery were performed at 90-day intervals. Demographic aspects of each user were also compiled, including gender, current location, and primary interests. To determine differences between the growth of Google Scholar public profile registrations and citation counts, as well as differences in growth in different regions, repeated measures of analysis of variance (RMANOVA) were used. Results: RMANOVA revealed statistically significant differences (p = 0.0001) for regional growth. The largest growth was observed in the United Kingdom (p = 0.009, 289%), followed by the Asia-Pacific region (p = 0.004, 177%) and “Other” (p = 0.006, 172%). The mean growth per 90-day interval is 19.9% (p = 0.003) and the mean 12-month growth is 107% (p = 0.05). Statistically significant differences between gender (male vs. female) and basic and clinical sciences (χ² = 22.4, p = 0.0001) were observed. Conclusion: This study suggests an exponential growth in the number of authors in the field of orthopedic surgery creating a Google Scholar public profile, and at the current rate participation doubles every 10.6 months.