Background and aims: Despite decades of effort, numerous aspects on ulcerative colitis (UC) remain unknown and require further investigation. Scientists experience numerous challenges to survey >40,000 items that have been published on UC since 1900, to evaluate their scientific impact or to identify collaborative networks publishing the most relevant work. Hence, no current, detailed and comprehensive knowledge regarding the worldwide research architecture of UC has been established until now.
Methods: We conducted a scientometric study employing the previously validated NewQIS (New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science) platform to quantify the global research activity in the field of UC. Hereby, the total research productivity, scientific output of countries, individual institutions, authors, journals, their collaborative networks as well as semiqualitative aspects were assessed. Results were visualized via state-of-the-art density-equalizing mapping projections.
Results: The United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom play leading roles regarding scientific activity, multilateral and bilateral cooperations. Within the past decades, research on UC diversified into a field covering numerous subject areas. Recently published studies predict that the scientific progress will be mainly depending on international cooperations; we can confirm that development by now.
Conclusions: Scientometrics proofed to be a useful methodical approach to evaluate quantitative and semiqualitative aspects regarding UC. Also, we conclude that the influence of international cooperations on the scientific progress in the field of UC is constantly progressing.
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