An analysis of reporting practices in the top 100 cited health and medicine-related bibliometric studies from 2019 to 2021 based on a proposed guidelines

Worldwide research trends on artificial intelligence in head and neck cancer: a bibliometric analysis

OBJECTIVE

This bibliometric analysis aims to explore scientific data on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Head and Neck Cancer (HNC).

STUDY DESIGN

AI-related HNC articles from the Web of Science Core Collection were searched. VosViewer and Biblioshiny/Bibiometrix for R Studio were used for data synthesis. This analysis covered key characteristics such as sources, authors, affiliations, countries, citations and top cited articles, keyword analysis, and trending topics.

RESULTS

A total of 1,019 papers from 1995 to 2024 were included. Among them, 71.6% were original research articles, 7.6% were reviews, and 20.8% took other forms. The fifty most cited documents highlighted radiology as the most explored specialty, with an emphasis on deep learning models for segmentation. The publications have been increasing, with an annual growth rate of 94.4% after 2016. Among the 20 most productive countries, 14 are high-income economies. The keywords of strong citation revealed 2 main clusters: radiomics and radiotherapy. The most frequently keywords include machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and head and neck cancer, with recent emphasis on diagnosis, survival prediction, and histopathology.

CONCLUSIONS

There has been an increase in the use of AI in HNC research since 2016 and indicated a notable disparity in publication quantity between high-income and low/middle-income countries. Future research should prioritize clinical validation and standardization to facilitate the integration of AI in HNC management, particularly in underrepresented regions.

Bibliometric analysis of additive manufacturing in cranial and craniofacial implant research

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers solutions to complex surgical challenges by enabling the production of medical devices with highly sophisticated and customized designs. As a result, it has significantly advanced the field of implant customization for cranial and craniofacial reconstruction. However, comprehensive insights into the research trends in this area remain limited. This study aims to provide a bibliometric analysis of literature related to AM in cranial and craniofacial implant applications from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection. A highly refined search strategy was employed by utilizing an advanced query with specific keywords such as 'additive manufacturing,' 'cranial implants,' '3D printing,' and 'customized'. This search resulted in a total of 408 publications, which were then narrowed down to 331 articles by selection of articles as the publication type. A visualization tool named VOSviewer was employed to analyze trends in publication volume, author collaboration, journal impact, and keyword co-occurrence. The analysis revealed an increasing trend in research publications with a focus on patient-specific implants, 3D bioprinting technologies, and virtual surgical planning. Additionally, the collaborations between institutions in North America, Europe, and Asia are driving the field forward. Despite significant progress since 2000s, there are still challenges related to material optimization, regulatory concerns, and clinical integration.

Identifying Trends in the Most Cited Nursing Articles: Research Topics, Author Gender Representation and Characteristics Correlated With Citation Counts

AIM

To assess the top 1000 cited nursing articles in terms of their impact, conceptual and social characteristics.

DESIGN

Bibliometric literature review design.

METHODS

A bibliometric analysis on the 1000 most cited nursing articles in English, focusing on assessing their impact and prevalent terms, keywords, co-occurrence networks and topic trends. Non-parametric statistical tests were used.

DATA SOURCES

Web of Science Core Collection (accessed 14 February 2024).

RESULTS

The 1000 most cited articles were exported from 201,310 eligible articles. The most cited articles received a total of 319,643 citations. The Journal of Advanced Nursing and the International Journal of Nursing Studies were the most cited journals. Literature reviews accounted for 21% of the most cited articles, compared to only 7% of all eligible articles. Most first authors were female, 63%. The data showed an increase in female first authorship among the most cited articles over time. This may reflect a shift towards greater gender equity in nursing research. Shorter article titles and fewer article pages were associated with more citations.

CONCLUSION

Methodological and conceptual articles received the most citations, likely due to their broad applicability (e.g., across disciplines) and enduring relevance. There was a statistically significant correlation between article brevity and citation count, but the relationship should be viewed with caution given the small effect size.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

Bibliometrics is important for evidence-based practice because it helps nurses evaluate journals, articles and research topics. Since citation counts do not always indicate research quality, nurses and nursing students would benefit from training in bibliometrics to enhance their critical thinking in this area.

IMPACT

Top-cited nursing articles indicate influential research topics and methods. They also influence authors' academic career opportunities, allowing assessment of research equity in terms of dominant countries and author gender representation.

REPORTING METHOD

The Preferred Reporting Items for Bibliometric Analysis (PRIBA) guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No Patient or Public Contribution.

Nursing Research on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-A Bibliometric Analysis

AIM

The aim of this study is to map nursing publications on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Web of Science, highlighting trends, key contributors, and central research themes to identify potential areas for future research.

BACKGROUND

The globally-spanning 2030 Agenda promotes sustainable development using research technology and scientific innovation. However, research data availability is a challenge. By conducting big data analyses, using all available nursing research literature indexed in the Web of Science database (Core Collection) pertaining to this field, aid in understanding and advancing this area.

METHODS

This study adopts a cross-sectional descriptive bibliometric study design.

RESULTS

The search yielded 131 publications, comprising 116 articles (89%) and 15 review articles (11%). This can be compared to adjacent disciplines such as Internal General Medicine (n = 360), Nutrition/Dietetics (n = 171), and Paediatrics (n = 152). The leading countries in publication output were the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Among the included publications, only eight SDGs were addressed: SDG3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG13 (Climate Action), SDG4 (Quality Education), SDG5 (Gender Equality), SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), SDG1 (No Poverty), and SDG9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate a scarcity of articles in nursing publications focusing on the SDGs, suggesting insufficient evidence of nursing's contributions to these goals-particularly beyond SDG3.

IMPLICATIONS

This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric review and analysis of existing nursing publications on the SDGs. The results offer valuable insights for future research areas related to the SDGs, particularly for nursing scholars, clinicians, managers, and policymakers concerned with the underrepresentation of nursing publications. To address this gap and advance both the SDGs and quality patient care, action plans should be developed to integrate the SDGs into daily nursing practice. No Patient or Public Contribution. This study was a bibliometric analysis.

Global Trends in Diabetic Foot Research (2004-2023): A Bibliometric Study Based on the Scopus Database

Diabetic foot is one of the leading complications of diabetes mellitus that affects millions of people around the world and involves the presence of ulcers, infections, tissue destruction, and loss of sensation and can even lead to limb amputation. This research explores trends in diabetic foot global research through a bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in Scopus in the period 2004-2023. A total of 7136 documents were analysed using Excel, Python, Biblioshiny, and VOSviewer. Scientific production has multiplied by a factor of 6.6 from the first to the last year analysed. Armstrong D.G. is the most productive and cited author. China is the most productive country, and the United States is the most cited. The most productive journal is the International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, and the most cited journal is Diabetes Care. Research on diabetic foot is mainly focused on the complications of diabetes mellitus; the treatment and healing of wounds; infections; and epidemiology and patient care. Infections and antibiotic treatment are emerging topics, while deep learning and machine learning are among the niche topics in this area of knowledge. The present study allows us to identify current trends and future directions of research in diabetic foot.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Healthcare Intervention-Related Studies Reporting Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) has gained global recognition as an innovative healthcare research practice. PPIE engages end-users throughout the research process, improving intervention effectiveness, resource efficiency, and user satisfaction. Despite its increasing inclusion in studies, comprehensive bibliometric reviews of healthcare intervention-related studies reporting PPIE are scarce. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of healthcare intervention-related studies reporting PPIE in recent decades to identify key worldwide bibliometric features, themes, and trends.

METHODS

The analysis includes 10,624 relevant English articles published in the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection up to 26 November 2024. Search terms were selected based on PPIE conceptualization, interventional types, and related healthcare terms. Using WoS descriptive analysis and CiteSpace, we examined bibliometric features and identified major international themes and trends.

RESULTS

There has been a significant increase in the number of healthcare intervention-related studies reporting PPIE over the past five years, especially from the United States and the United Kingdom, with a recent rise in Asia. However, cross-national collaboration remains limited. Key research themes identified include "community participation", "health equity", "coronary heart disease", "web-based patient empowerment", "mental illness", and "obesity prevention", with growing interest in "mobile health" and "digital health".

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the bibliometric characteristics and evolving trends in healthcare intervention-related studies reporting PPIE. It highlights global regions with limited PPIE implementation, suggests pathways for further development, and identifies key research themes. The study offers researchers and practitioners valuable insights into tracking PPIE trends in healthcare interventions and fostering collaborations on evidence-based PPIE studies with leading scholars and institutions worldwide. Additionally, the findings drive innovations aimed at improving patient and public healthcare outcomes.

Advanced practice nursing in Brazil: bibliometric analysis of dissertations and theses

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the scientific production on Advanced Practice Nursing based on dissertations and theses published in Brazil.

METHOD

A bibliometric study, with a descriptive approach based on documents, carried out in the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel Theses and Dissertations Bank, Scientific Electronic Library Online, Virtual Health Library, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences and institutional repositories, from October to November 2023.

RESULTS

Of the 25 scientific productions identified, 16 are dissertations and nine are theses. Most were published in 2022 (40.0%), in the Southeast region (60.0%), especially at the Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein, through a professional master's program in nursing (20.0%). Family health was the most evident area of specialty in the sample (36.0%), and the prevalent level of complexity was Primary Health Care (76.0%).

CONCLUSION

The scenario of scientific productions on the subject in the country has begun to advance in recent years, but is still incipient. The mapping of theses and dissertations on Advanced Practice Nursing points to the emerging need to meet the demands arising from the health sector at an international and national level.

Bibliometric insights into the top 100 most-cited annual studies on digital health in nursing education (2020-2024)

Aim

This study aims to use bibliometric methods to analyze highly cited nursing education articles on digital health, particularly those 100 top cited publications between 2020 and 2024, from the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection.

Design

A retrospective bibliometric analysis was conducted.

Methods

A bibliometric analysis of the most-cited digital health articles on nursing education in English with the highest citations. Data were sourced from the WOS Core Collection. Analysis was conducted using Excel and SPSS, while VOSviewer was used to visualize keyword trends. The analysis included examining journal distribution, author patterns, research types, methodologies, and keyword trends.

Results

The 100 most-cited articles were published between 1993 and 2024 by 91 different first authors from 22 countries. The United States contributed approximately 33% of the articles. Citation counts ranged from 198 to 1. Nurse Education Today was the most frequently cited journal. Review articles had higher average citations (50.96) compared to original articles (24.08). The focus of research has shifted from virtual reality (VR) to artificial intelligence (AI), with ChatGPT emerging as a new trend.

Conclusion

Digital health is becoming a significant focus in nursing education research. While VR has been a dominant topic, AI is now emerging as a key research area. The findings provide insights into citation patterns and research trends, supporting future impactful studies in this field.

Global research hotspots and trends in anti-inflammatory studies in dry eye: a bibliometric analysis (2004-2024)

Background

Inflammation plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of dry eye (DE). This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current status, hotspots and trends in DE anti-inflammatory research through bibliometric analysis.

Method

All publications were searched using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database from 2004 to 2024. Bibliometric analyses were performed using VOSviewer, R-bibliometrix, and CiteSpace, and data were managed using Microsoft Office Excel 2019.

Results

There were 603 papers published between 2004 and 2024 included in this study, with the number of papers increasing each year. The United States was the major contributor, with the largest number of publications and the greatest impact. Baylor College of Medicine was the most influential research institution. Pflugfelder, Stephen C. and Tsubota, Kazuo were the most prolific authors in this area of research, while Dana, Reza was the most cited author in the field with the highest impact. The Journal with the highest number of publications was Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, while the highest impact journal was Ocular Surface. Research hotspots were focused on the mechanisms of inflammation in DE and interventions for anti-inflammatory therapy. Future studies would favor more inflammation-related targeted therapies and physical therapies.

Conclusion

This study is the first bibliometric analysis to comprehensively summarize research trends and developments in DE anti-inflammatory treatments, pointing out recent research frontiers and hot directions for scholars studying DE anti-inflammatory treatments.

The use of bibliometrics in nursing science: Topics, data sources and contributions to research and practice

AIM

To describe the use of bibliometrics in nursing and assess their contribution to research and practice.

DESIGN

A content analysis was conducted of topics, data sources and applications of bibliometrics in nursing research articles.

METHODS

The study universe included 129 bibliometric articles on nursing retrieved from Scopus. A content analysis was performed to identify the purposes and topics of the articles, the sources employed to collect the data, the time frames covered, the amounts of records surveyed, and the features of the nursing literature analysed in bibliometric papers.

RESULTS

Nursing bibliometric research revolves around six key areas: global descriptions of the nursing literature, literature on specific nursing research topics, nursing education, nursing profession, nursing research using a certain framework or method, and nursing literature published in a country or region. Studies rely on three types of sources to retrieve the surveyed literature: bibliographic databases, sets of disciplinary journals and samples of documents. Bibliometrics can be employed to advance nursing research (identification of research gaps, establishment of research agendas, assessment of methodological approaches, etc.) and practice (identification of professional competences, categorisation of professional tasks, recognition of educational improvements, etc.), suggesting new avenues for researchers who aim to conduct further bibliometric research in the field. Further research is needed to assess the coverage of the nursing literature by new bibliographic data sources and to explore unaddressed topics such as gender imbalance in authorship.

Global research trends in transcranial magnetic stimulation for stroke (1994-2023): promising, yet requiring further practice

Background

Scholars have been committed to investigating stroke rehabilitation strategies over many years. Since its invention, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been increasingly employed in contemporary stroke rehabilitation research. Evidence has shown the significant potential of TMS in stroke research and treatment.

Objective

This article reviews the research conducted on the use of TMS in stroke from 1994 to 2023. This study applied bibliometric analysis to delineate the current research landscape and to anticipate future research hotspots.

Method

The study utilized the Web of Science Core Collection to retrieve and acquire literature data. Various software tools, including VOSviewer (version 1.6.19), CiteSpace (version 6.3.R1), Scimago Graphica (version 1.0.36), and WPS (version 11572), were used for data analysis and visualization. The review included analyses of countries, institutions, authors, journals, articles, and keywords.

Results

A total of 3,425 articles were collected. The top three countries in terms of publication output were the United States (953 articles), China (546 articles), and Germany (424 articles). The United States also had the highest citation counts (56,764 citations), followed by Germany (35,211 citations) and the United Kingdom (32,383 citations). The top three institutions based on the number of publications were Harvard University with 138 articles, the University of Auckland with 81 articles, and University College London with 80 articles. The most prolific authors were Abo, Masahiro with 54 articles, Fregni, Felipe with 53 articles, and Pascual-Leone, Alvaro with 50 articles. The top three journals in terms of article count were Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair with 139 articles, Clinical Neurophysiology with 128 articles, and Frontiers in Neurology with 110 articles. The most frequently occurring keywords were stroke (1,275 occurrences), transcranial magnetic stimulation (1,119 occurrences), and rehabilitation (420 occurrences).

Conclusion

The application of TMS in stroke research is rapidly gaining momentum, with the USA leading in publications. Prominent institutions, such as Harvard University and University College London, show potential for collaborative research. The key areas of focus include post-stroke cognitive impairment, aphasia, and dysphagia, which are expected to remain significant hotspots in future research. Future research should involve large-scale, randomized, and controlled trials in these fields. Additionally, identifying more effective combined therapies with rTMS should be a priority.

Comparison of clinical research trends and hotspots in allergic rhinitis and asthma from 2013 to 2023 based on bibliometric analysis

Purpose

To analyze and compare clinical research trends and hot topics in allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma and provide valuable theoretical data and references for future research.

Methods

Clinical studies focusing on AR or asthma published from 2013 to 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Eligible articles were screened and analyzed using bibliometrics from multiple indicators.

Results

A total of 261 eligible articles on AR and 991 qualified articles on asthma were screened. The following bibliometric analyses identified the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology as the most influential publication on AR and asthma and proved the significant contributions of Harvard University in clinical studies on AR and asthma. The analyses also revealed that the top ten prolific authors for AR were from China, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany, whereas the top ten productive authors for asthma were mainly from the USA. Collaborations among countries for AR were relatively concentrated in the Occident, whereas international cooperation on asthma was mainly achieved by the Occident and certain Eastern countries.

Conclusions

This study compared and analyzed the current status and evolution of AR and asthma-related clinical research using bibliometric analysis. Additionally, the study comprehensively summarized the impactful authors, institutions, and countries, and revealed the replacement and evolution of hotspots.

Trends in Adipose-Derived Stem Cell-Conditioned Medium: A Bibliometric and Visualized Review

Adipose-derived stem cell-conditioned medium (ADSC-CM) has been widely studied and used as a stem cell-based cell-free therapy. Due to the explosion of scientific publications in this field, it is difficult to review all relevant publications systematically, not mention quantitively. In this study, we combined bibliometrics with the conventional review method to summarize, analyze, and visualize the characteristics of nearly all published articles related to ADSC-CM using CiteSpace-a bibliometrics software. We applied this software to quantitively and vividly show (a) annual publications and citations; (b) distributions and co-occurrence networks of countries/regions, authors, journals, and institutions; (c) keyword co-occurrence networks and clusters in different time periods; (d) cocitation networks of references; and (e) ongoing challenges and new topics in ADSC-CM. Altogether, we found that ADSC-CM is at a hot stage with an increasing number of publications and citations, extensive and close scientific collaborations, and dense cocited networks. Impact statement To our best knowledge, it is the first bibliometric and visualized review in the field of adipose-derived stem cell-conditioned medium (ADSC-CM). This review systematically and quantitatively revealed the developments, challenges, and emerging hot spots of ADSC-CM, providing a panoramic view to assist researchers to decide the direction of their future study in the fields of ADSCs and CM derived from stem cells.

Preliminary guideline for reporting bibliometric reviews of the biomedical literature (BIBLIO): a minimum requirements

BACKGROUND

A bibliometric review of the biomedical literature could be essential in synthesizing evidence if thoroughly conducted and documented. Although very similar to review papers in nature, it slightly differs in synthesizing the data when it comes to providing a pile of evidence from different studies into a single document. This paper provides a preliminary guideline for reporting bibliometric reviews of the biomedical literature (BIBLIO).

METHODS

The BIBLIO was developed through two major processes: literature review and the consensus process. The BIBLIO started with a comprehensive review of publications on the conduct and reporting of bibliometric studies. The databases searched included PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and Cochrane Library. The process followed the general recommendations of the EQUATOR Network on how to develop a reporting guideline, of which one fundamental part is a consensus process. A panel of experts was invited to identify additional items and was asked to choose preferred options or suggest another item that should be included in the checklist. Finally, the checklist was completed based on the comments and responses of the panel members in four rounds.

RESULTS

The BIBLIO includes 20 items as follows: title (2 items), abstract (1 item), introduction/background (2 items), methods (7 items), results (4 items), discussion (4 items). These should be described as a minimum requirements in reporting a bibliometric review.

CONCLUSIONS

The BIBLIO for the first time provides a preliminary guideline of its own kind. It is hoped that it could contribute to the transparent reporting of bibliometric reviews. The quality and utility of BIBILO remain to be investigated further.