The Evolution of Publications in the Field of Scoliosis: A Detailed Investigation of Global Scientific Output Using Bibliometric Approaches

Turk Neurosurg. 2021;31(1):124-136. doi: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.30216-20.2.

Abstract

Aim: To carry out an in-depth bibliometric analysis of scoliosis literature.

Material and methods: This study used the Web of Science database to identify relevant articles for analysis. The literature search used the keyword ?scolio*? and focused on the period between 1980-2019. Bibliometric network visualizations and mapping of specific results were done using VOSviewer software.

Results: The literature search yielded 9706 publications on scoliosis between 1980 and 2019. Of these, 6975 (71.9%) journal articles were included in the bibliometric summary. Orthopedics was the most common area of research (4581 articles, 65.67%), and the United States of America (USA) exhibited the highest publication productivity (2327 articles, 33.36%). Nanjing University in China had the highest number of publications among institutions (n=219, 3.13% of the total literature), and there were a total of 60130 citations in 6975 articles. Fifty-five articles had a minimum of 100 citations, and the journal with the highest number of publications was ?Spine? (number of article: 1628, 23.3%).

Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis may be regarded as a summary and evaluation of global scientific output on scoliosis and can, therefore, be used a guide for researchers, clinicians and students. Furthermore, the keyword analysis can aid professionals in the field when planning new studies.

MeSH terms

  • Bibliometrics*
  • Biomedical Research / trends*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Databases, Factual / trends
  • Global Health / trends*
  • Humans
  • Internationality*
  • Orthopedic Procedures / trends
  • Periodicals as Topic / trends*
  • Publications
  • Scoliosis / epidemiology*
  • Scoliosis / therapy