A Bibliometric Analysis of the Journal of Religion and Health: Sixty Years of Publication (1961-2021)

Thematic Evolution and Scholarly Contributions: A Study of the Top 100 Most Cited Papers in the Journal of Religion and Health

The Journal of Religion and Health (JORH) has significantly contributed to the intersection of spirituality and healthcare since its inception in 1961. We analyzed the top 100 most cited papers published in JORH, which may provide insights into authorship patterns, institutional affiliations, and publication dynamics. The data was retrieved from the Scopus database. Details about the annual growth rate of publications, citation metrics, authorship trends, and collaboration patterns among authors, universities, and countries are provided. A total of 3,359 papers were published in JORH. The top 100 most cited papers exhibited an annual growth rate of 3.14%. The average age of these documents was 12.8 years, with each paper receiving an average of 88.87 citations. The analysis identified 289 authors contributing to these highly cited works, of which 11 authors produced single-authored documents, resulting in 12 single-authored papers. The co-authorship rate averaged 3.27 authors per document, with an international collaboration rate of 16%, indicating moderate global engagement. The authors were affiliated with 141 universities across 21 countries. Performance metrics, including the number of papers, citations, h-index, g-index, m-index, HG composite, and q2 index, highlighted the contributions of top authors. The analysis also included a focus on the thematic evolution of papers through unigram, bigram, and trigram analyses. This bibliometric study of the top 100 most cited papers in JORH may underscore the journal's role in fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and highlight areas for future research.

Judaism, Women's Health and COVID-19

This issue commences with a review of the top 100 most cited papers in the Journal of Religion and Health. This is followed by Part 2 of a series examining Judaism and health related research, which is subsequently followed by an extensive collection of research specifically connected to women's health. Finally, research continues to present the unique and ongoing effects of COVID-19.

The Top 100 Most-Cited Articles on Religion from 2010 to 2023: A Bibliometric and Altmetric Analysis

In this study, we conducted a bibliometric and altmetric analysis of the top 100 most-cited articles on religion from 2010 to 2023. The data were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer was utilized to create visualization knowledge maps such as co-authorship, co-citation, and keywords co-occurrence analysis, and the Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationships between the variables. The results indicate that these articles were published in 22 journals by 231 authors in 158 institutions across 24 countries. Most of the articles were published from the USA. Kenneth I. Pargament and Harold G. Koenig were identified as two of the most prominent scholars, while the Journal of Religion and Health and the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality emerged as the most productive and influential journals. The citations for these articles span a range of 45 to 828, whereas the altmetric attention scores (AAS) vary from 1 to 797. The Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the AAS is weakly positively correlated with the article influence score (AIS) ( r = 0.285 ) and weakly negatively correlated with the number of years since publication (NYsP) ( r = - 0.233 ), but is not significantly correlated with other bibliometric indicators; however, it is posited that the importance of the AAS may increase over time as the influence of social media continues to expand.

Poland, Public Health, Chaplains, Clergy, Mindfulness and Prayer

This issue commences with a bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most cited articles on religion. It then presents the first of a two-part series relating to research from Poland and progresses to examine the relevance of religion and spirituality to public health. Finally, this issue revisits the long-established and productive discipline of healthcare chaplaincy and various factors relating to parish clergy. A new theme of mindfulness and prayer is also introduced.

Grey Zone Healers and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chechnya, Russia

The Chechen authorities' focus upon population health is enacted both through the principles of Islamic medicine and approved biomedical practices. Any healing practices beyond these domains are met with deep suspicion. Practitioners of unofficial complementary and alternative medicine healers may abruptly find themselves regarded as enemies of the state. In light of this precarious circumstance, it becomes pertinent to inquire: How do these healers employ their daily tactics to negotiate the intricate power dynamics between the formidable state apparatus and the established biomedical order? Drawing from our meticulous fieldwork conducted in the year 2021, we investigated the intricate tactics employed by unofficial healers in the Chechen medical landscape during COVID-19. Our research centred on discerning the nuanced tactics aimed at mitigating potential risks. We conclude that healers, having embodied tactics to creatively manoeuvre within the confines of the authoritarian state, perceived the challenges posed by COVID-19 as merely another, often inconsequential, obstacle in their enduring struggle.

Quantitative and Qualitative Research in the Field of 'Spirituality and Health': An Introductory How-to-Guide from a Brazilian Perspective

The present article aims to describe the different steps on how to design, develop and conduct quantitative and qualitative Spirituality and Health (S/H) studies from a Brazilian perspective, discussing definitions and instruments, and proposing a "how-to guide" for those interested in this field of research. A narrative review of the literature has been conducted by experts in the field of S/H aiming to develop a "how-to-guide". Spirituality is a very complex concept that has several challenges in the current scientific literature, including the lack of consensus in the definitions, the numerous dimensions assessed, the diverse instruments for measurement, the criticisms from other scholars, the great diversity of religious and cultural traditions and the growing number of "spiritual but not religious" individuals. This review supports that S/H studies may follow the high scientific standards, using consolidated research procedures and solid methods for both qualitative and quantitative research. Some peculiarities of the research methods for this field are discussed. S/H research is still under development, and there are several future directions for S/H studies, aiming to minimize previous criticisms and generating stronger evidence.

Forty-five years of disability and rehabilitation research: review of the journal Disability and Rehabilitation through bibliometric analysis

PURPOSE

Disability and Rehabilitation has a history of 45 years. This article aims to comprehensively analyze the scientific production of this journal to celebrate and present its achievements over time.

METHODS

This study examines the performance of the journal's publications between 1978 and 2022, using indicators of bibliometric analysis and scientific mapping techniques. These techniques explore publication trends, emerging and discussed themes, institutions, countries, collaboration patterns, and citations.

RESULTS

In the journal's 45 years, 7369 documents were published, with an average annual growth rate of 15.18%, reaching 176976 citations in 7019 documents. The United Kingdom was the most productive, and the University of Toronto was the most representative (587 articles). Recurring themes were rehabilitation, stroke, and disability. The most consolidated research themes were rehabilitation, stroke, activities of daily living, and physiotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to scientific development in the field of disability and rehabilitation. The findings provide data to advance the understanding of academic practices in these fields and also provide valuable insights for the strategic planning, potential innovations, and future actions of the editorial board of the journal Disability and Rehabilitation.

Faith and Health in Israel, Türkiye and the USA

This issue of JORH focuses upon faith and health within three nations that have contributed a great deal in terms of religion and health research during this century-namely Israel, Türkiye and the USA.

Bibliometric analysis of genetic counseling publications in Asia: Insights and implications

Purpose

Investigation of genetic counseling-related published papers offers a historical assessment of the cumulative scientific knowledge produced by members of the profession and can be the basis for future practice, training, and research. This paper aims to present a bibliometric analysis of genetic counseling publications in Asia.

Methods

We conducted a bibliometric analysis of genetic counseling-related manuscripts published in Asia from 1947 to 2023. We excluded articles published in 2024 given an incomplete year of data source. The articles were retrieved through the Scopus database using the search terms "genetic counsel∗" OR "genomic counsel∗" in the article titles. The bibliographic information was downloaded and analyzed descriptively through Microsoft Excel. Network visualization was done through VOSViewer.

Results

A total of 449 genetic counseling-related publications authored by at least one researcher from Asian countries were identified. The most common publication type was original articles (332, 74%) and a total of 299 manuscripts were published from 2012 to 2023, representing 66.5% (299/449) of total publications. Among Asian countries, India had the highest number of publications accounting for 19.4% of the total (n = 87) and publications from Israel had the most citations (n = 1882). Out of the 29 Asian countries represented in the document corpus, 15 have links with other Asian countries. The most common keywords used are genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis, genetic counselling, genetic testing, and genetics.

Conclusion

There is an overall increase in the number of genetic counseling publications authored by at least one researcher affiliated with an Asian institution. This increase has corresponded to various developments in genetic counseling in the continent and is possibly driven by collaboration between and among Asian researchers and other researchers outside of Asia. The analysis of keywords also shows the evolution of topics of genetic counseling publications which also corresponded to the development of genetic counseling as a profession in the region.

Schizophrenia or Possession? A Rejoinder to Irmak

In this rejoinder, I comment on Irmak's 2014 article titled "Schizophrenia or Possession?" published in the Journal of Religion and Health  (Irmak, 2014; JORH 53(3):773-777. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9673-y ). After providing a brief overview of the article and two commentaries on it, I examine the role that demonic possession may or may not play in the development and course of schizophrenia. While keeping an open mind to the possibility of evil influences on the course of illness in those with or without psychosis, I emphasize that schizophrenia is a neurobiological illness that requires compassionate care and expert psychobiological treatment.

Identifying the Leading Global Contributors to Scholarship in Religion Journals: A Bibliometric Study

This study identified the 100 most impactful global contributors to religion journals and mapped their respective disciplinary affiliations. To conduct this investigation, we performed a secondary data analysis of a Scopus-derived database featuring the world's leading scientists. The mean contributor published 51.93 papers, had an h-index of 13.57, and an hm-index 11.50. Most contributors were located in the USA with the most common disciplinary affiliations being religion, non-specialized (n = 22), sociology, non-specialized (n = 21), sociology of religion (n = 20), and theology (n = 11). The results reveal that religion discourse is populated by some of the leading scholars in the world. Leveraging their expertise can help advance the field's knowledge development.

Chaplaincy, Judaism, Ukraine, COVID-19 and JORH Jubilee

This first issue of JORH for 2023 considers (1) the ministry of chaplains, (2) Judaism, (3) the people of war-torn Ukraine, (4) the ongoing saga of COVID-19 and, on a happier note, (5) we celebrate a belated jubilee by presenting a bibliometric analysis of the Journal of Religion and Health (1961-2021). To conclude this issue, a book review is presented, "The Desperate Hours" by award winning journalist Marie Brenner, focusing on one hospital's fight to save New York City during COVID-19. A reminder is also provided to readers on the call for papers regarding a future issue on religion, spirituality, suicide and its prevention.