Article type
Year
Abstract
Background:
In 2012, 1.8 billion Google searches were made. 'Google Trends’ is a free online tool that is able to track the number of times a specific search is made in each month from 2004 until the present date. The Cochrane Collaboration website (www.cochrane.org) is ranked 120,472 in the world in terms of internet traffic and 27% of traffic is from Google.
Objectives:
To investigate the frequency of Cochrane-related Google searches to date and to investigate the frequency of Google searches for other leading medical publications (2004 to date).
Methods: One post-General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) school student on a one week placement searched specific phrases in Google Trends associated with the Cochrane Collaboration, and Cochrane Reviews and the top four 'Medicine, General and Internal' journals in the ISI Journal Citation Report. Data downloaded from Google Trends, and generated line graphs for relevant comparisons.
Results:
Searches related to the Cochrane Collaboration and The Cochrane Library consistently show downward trends. Many popular Cochrane reviews peak in search frequency annually. Interest is at its highest during the winter months, whilst through (northern hemisphere) summer the number of searches drop to an immeasurable amount. The top four medical journals all display similar downward trends. The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) exceeded the search frequency of Cochrane, with an upwards trend in searches.
Conclusions:
Cochrane’s decline is part of the overall decline in online interest in leading medical journals. Whilst it is reassuring that Cochrane is not falling behind the top medical journals, online interest in Cochrane may be falling behind broader guidance publications such as those produced by NICE. The annual peaks in searches for specific Cochrane reviews would seem to suggest that interest may be driven by the Cochrane Colloquium.
In 2012, 1.8 billion Google searches were made. 'Google Trends’ is a free online tool that is able to track the number of times a specific search is made in each month from 2004 until the present date. The Cochrane Collaboration website (www.cochrane.org) is ranked 120,472 in the world in terms of internet traffic and 27% of traffic is from Google.
Objectives:
To investigate the frequency of Cochrane-related Google searches to date and to investigate the frequency of Google searches for other leading medical publications (2004 to date).
Methods: One post-General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) school student on a one week placement searched specific phrases in Google Trends associated with the Cochrane Collaboration, and Cochrane Reviews and the top four 'Medicine, General and Internal' journals in the ISI Journal Citation Report. Data downloaded from Google Trends, and generated line graphs for relevant comparisons.
Results:
Searches related to the Cochrane Collaboration and The Cochrane Library consistently show downward trends. Many popular Cochrane reviews peak in search frequency annually. Interest is at its highest during the winter months, whilst through (northern hemisphere) summer the number of searches drop to an immeasurable amount. The top four medical journals all display similar downward trends. The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) exceeded the search frequency of Cochrane, with an upwards trend in searches.
Conclusions:
Cochrane’s decline is part of the overall decline in online interest in leading medical journals. Whilst it is reassuring that Cochrane is not falling behind the top medical journals, online interest in Cochrane may be falling behind broader guidance publications such as those produced by NICE. The annual peaks in searches for specific Cochrane reviews would seem to suggest that interest may be driven by the Cochrane Colloquium.