Bibliometric analysis of fifty years of physica status solidi

Bibliometric methods are used to analyze quantitatively the journal physica status solidi (pss) 50 years after its inception. First, the coverage of the journal by the relevant citation indices accessible under the Web of Science (WoS) and the field-specific INSPEC database is examined. The number of papers published per year by the journal as a whole and by the specific pss series is given. The time evolution of the pss output in terms of papers per year is compared with the output evolution of some major competing journals in the field of condensed-matter physics. The top-12 most frequently cited pss papers published within the complete time period 1961–2010 and within the two separate time periods 1974–1989 and 1990–2010 (before and after the German reunification) are listed. The citation time curves (citation history) of the three most frequently cited pss papers are presented. Furthermore, the Journal Impact Factors (JIFs) of the pss journal series (a) and (b) are discussed and their time evolution is shown. Moreover, the distribution of the pss papers over their document types and the authors is given. The countries of authors are ranked for the complete time period 1961–2010 as well as for the time periods 1973–1989 and 1990–2010. The complete ensemble of the citing papers of the pss papers is analyzed and discussed. The journals citing most often the pss papers published in the year 2000 are listed. Finally, the distribution of the pss papers over the various subject areas and classification terms based on the INSPEC database is tabled.