Measuring the influence of nanotechnology environmental, health and safety research

Concern about nanotechnology risks has engendered an upsurge of research on environmental, health and safety issues (Nano-EHS). This paper explores the extent to which such research is impacting the field. Citations to a carefully vetted set of Nano-EHS articles are analyzed along several dimensions. One dimension concerns the emergence of a Nano-EHS field, as indicated by shared bodies of research knowledge. A second concerns the extent to which nanotechnology researchers, in general, are taking Nano-EHS results into account in their studies (i.e. how are they citing Nano-EHS articles?). A third dimension explores the degree to which corporate nano-researchers are attendant to Nano-EHS findings. Findings suggest that the sharply increased Nano-EHS funding is translating into sharply increasing research output and the emergence of a research community. General nanotechnology researchers are increasingly citing Nano-EHS results, but still to a very small extent. Furthermore, corporate attention to this research seems to be lagging. These results demonstrate the viability of tracking citation information to substantial bodies of research to assess patterns of influence. That, in turn, offers a useful research evaluation capability.