Characteristics of bibliometric analyses of the complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine literature: A scoping review protocol

Abstract

Background: There is a growing body of literature on complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CAIM), which offers a holistic approach to health and the maintenance of social and cultural values. Bibliometric analyses are an increasingly commonly used method employing quantitative statistical techniques to understand trends in a particular scientific field. The objective of this scoping review is to investigate the quantity and characteristics of evidence in relation to bibliometric analyses of CAIM literature. Methods: The following bibliographic databases will be searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science. Studies published in English, conducting any type of bibliometric analysis involving any CAIM therapies, as detailed by an operational definition of CAIM adopted by Cochrane Complementary Medicine, will be included. Conference abstracts and study protocols will be excluded. The following variables will be extracted from included studies: title, author, year, country, study objective, type of CAIM, health condition targeted, databases searched in the bibliometric analysis, the type of bibliometric variables assessed, how bibliometric information was reported, main findings, conclusions, and limitations. Findings will be summarized narratively, as well as in tabular and graphical format. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this scoping review will be the first to investigate the characteristics of evidence in relation to bibliometric analyses on CAIM literature. The findings of this review may be useful to identify variations in the objectives, methods, and results of bibliometric analyses of CAIM research literature.

The need to develop tailored tools for improving the quality of thematic bibliometric analyses: Evidence from papers published in Sustainability and Scientometrics

“…In early 2023, the first protocol aimed to provide guidelines for the reporting of bibliometric analyses was launched. The Guidance List for the repOrting of Bibliometric AnaLyses (GLOBAL) "will help promote transparency and completeness in reporting bibliometric and related analyses and provide a framework for authors to report methods and results" (Ng et al, 2023). As GLOBAL has just been released at the time of this study, it is not feasible to measure the impact that this tool may have on the bibliometric community.…”

“…Likewise, all these actors must be aware that it is necessary to apply more rigorous criteria in their respective roles in order to the quality of research in this field. In this regard, the launch of the GLOBAL (Guidance List for the repOrting of Bibliometric AnaLyses) initiative (Ng et al, 2023) may represent a significant step towards this aim.…”

Eğitimde Sistem Düşüncesi: Bibliyometrik Bir Analiz

“…Bununla birlikte, bibliyometrik analizlerdeki verilerin kapsamının, erişim kaynağı ve kullanılan bileşik sorguyla sınırlı olduğunu belirtmek önemlidir (Chen, 2017). Ayrıca, VOSviewer gibi görselleştirme yazılımlarının seçimi de analizi etkileyebilir (Ng, Liu, Shah, Wieland ve Moher, 2023). Bibliyometrik analizler yaparak araştırmacılar, bir araştırma konusunun manzarası hakkında fikir edinebilir ve gelecekteki araştırmaların yönünü tespit edebilirler.…”