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Correspondence

Nature 407, 13 (7 September 2000) | doi:10.1038/35024218

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Citation figures suggest that the UK brain drain is a genuine problem

Alice Sharp Pierson1 & Peter Cotgreave1

  1. Save British Science Society, 29–30 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9QU, UK

Sir — Although the UK government's announcement of substantial new investment in the British science base1 was reported in the national media as being largely about stopping the 'brain drain' of researchers to the United States, previous reports had suggested that there was no firm evidence of a brain drain2. Using bibliometric data, we report here a statistically significant difference between the quality of scientists who trained in the United Kingdom but are now in the United States, and those who have stayed in the United Kingdom.