Temporal study of countries’ scientific evolution based on two‑dimensional approach

Evolution of 50 top most countries in scientific production is analyzed over 16 years (1996-2011) based on two‑dimensional approach, that is, considering both quantity and quality simultaneously. By applying an averaging method, the global trend both in paper publication as quantity indicator and their citations as a quality indicator have been removed. Three different patterns of temporal evolution are detected among these countries in the two‑dimensional map out of five possible ones. 11 countries are revealed to have considerable progress rate. Their temporal evolution is studied and they are ranked based on their achievement in the study period. Furthermore, eight countries are found to show considerable decline rate, and 30 countries follow the fluctuation pattern. China and USA show the fastest progress and decline rate respectively.