A Case Study Of The Importance Of Publicly-Funded Research To Coastal Regions

In this paper, we present results of a quantitative and qualitative bibliometric analysis of all Sea Grant publications from 2001 to 2015 that were submitted to the National Sea Grant Library (NSGL). The NSGL is a digital library and official archive for all Sea Grant publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, extension bulletins, technical reports, policy briefs, and educational curricula. While the NSGL includes documents submitted since Sea Grant’s inception in 1966, JIFs were only available from year 2001 onwards. Per the NSGL, Sea Grant-funded research generated 6,531 peer-reviewed publications between 2001 and 2015. These publications were from more than 1,450 different sources, including peer-reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings. This analysis serves as a case-study for how support of publicly-funded research benefits the greater scientific community, by producing a body of research that supports future work. It also showcases how providing support to thoughtfully crafted public research institutions can lead to directed research outcomes that benefit communities. Grant no. NA14OAR4170084 Grant no. NA18OAR4170082