Mapping the literature of athletic training.
OBJECTIVE
This paper identifies the core literature of athletic training and determines which major databases provide the most thorough intellectual access to this literature.


METHODS
This study collected all cited references from 2002 to 2004 of three journals widely read by those in the athletic training field. Bradford's Law of Scattering was applied to the resulting list to determine the core journal titles in the discipline. Three major databases were reviewed for extent of their coverage of these core journals.


RESULTS
Of the total 8,678 citations, one-third referenced a compact group of 6 journals; another third of the citations referenced an additional 40 titles. The remaining 2,837 citations were scattered across 1,034 additional journal titles.


CONCLUSIONS
The number and scatter of citations over a three-year period identified forty-six key journals in athletic training. The study results can inform athletic trainers of the core literature in their field, encourage database producers (e.g., MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL) to increase coverage of titles that are not indexed or underindexed, and guide purchasing decisions for libraries serving athletic training programs.
Delwiche
Frances A
FA
Dana Medical Library, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA. Frances.Delwiche@uvm.edu
Hall
Ellen F
EF
D000043:Abstracting and Indexing; D016390:Allied Health Occupations / Q000193:education; D015706:Bibliometrics; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic; D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D011642:Publications; D013177:Sports