Research hotspots and trends analysis of ankylosing spondylitis: a bibliometric and scientometric analysis from 2009 to 2018

Abstract

Background: This study utilized bibliometric analysis to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze hotspots and predict trends in the field of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) research.Methods: Articles about AS were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed database, and bibliometric analysis was carried out through CiteSpace and the Online Analysis Platform of Literature Metrology and Bibliographic Item Co-Occurrence Matrix Builder (BICOMB). Then, co-word biclustering analysis was conducted to obtain research hotspots and predict trends using gCLUTO software. Results: A total of 6,818 articles on AS from 2009 to 2018 were analyzed, showing an increasing publication trend (558 articles in 2009 to 851 articles in 2018). The Journal of Rheumatology was the leading journal in AS research, with an impact factor (IF) of 3.634 and H-index value of 49. In terms of region, the United States led the world in this field, and The University of Toronto was the leading institution for AS research. Van Der Heijde, D was the most prolific author in the field. Eight research hotspots in the field of AS were also identified.Conclusions: Our analysis identified eight research hotspots, and predicted that surgical treatment and etiology will be the main AS research trends in the future. This study provides new directions and ideas for future research in AS.

Some comments on using of Web of Science Core Collection for bibliometric studies in Ann Transl Med. Vol. 8

“…As a result, 499 publications (24% of the 2,068 publications) and 2,239 publications (31% of the 7,250 publications) did not contain searching keywords in their "front page." These results show an unaccepted difference from the results in the two original papers (1,2). It was pointed out that the documents, which can only be searched out by KeyWords Plus, were irrelevant to the topic of a bibliometric study (8), for example highly cited review ( 9) with 100 citations or more entitled "Autophagy in the cellular energetic balance" (10) and an article entitled "Metformin suppresses intestinal polyp growth in Apc Min/+ mice" (11) do not contain search keywords "mTOR" and "liver" in their "front page" were inappropriate in "Scientometric analysis of mTOR signaling pathway in liver disease" (I) if the search keywords are appropriate in the original paper (1).…”

“…Using the methods noticed in the two articles by Fang et al (1) and Liang et al (2) with "front page" as a filter, 2,068 publications and 7,250 publications were found in each of the articles respectively in Table 1. As a result, 499 publications (24% of the 2,068 publications) and 2,239 publications (31% of the 7,250 publications) did not contain searching keywords in their "front page."…”

“…It was pointed out that the documents, which can only be searched out by KeyWords Plus, were irrelevant to the topic of a bibliometric study (8), for example highly cited review ( 9) with 100 citations or more entitled "Autophagy in the cellular energetic balance" (10) and an article entitled "Metformin suppresses intestinal polyp growth in Apc Min/+ mice" (11) do not contain search keywords "mTOR" and "liver" in their "front page" were inappropriate in "Scientometric analysis of mTOR signaling pathway in liver disease" (I) if the search keywords are appropriate in the original paper (1). Similarly, classic article (12) with 1,000 citations or more entitled "The development of Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis (part II): Validation and final selection" (13) and review entitled "Five years of GWAS discovery" (14) do not contain search keywords spondylitis and ankylosing in their "front page" were inappropriate in "Research hotspots and trends analysis of ankylosing spondylitis: A bibliometric and scientometric analysis from 2009 to 2018" (II) if the search keywords are appropriate in the original paper (2).…”

The Top 100 Cited Articles in Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…This tool can not only evaluate the scientific value of articles but also show the current status and hotspots of a specific area [ 11 , 12 ]. Many fields have published bibliometric analyses on the most cited articles in their specialty, such as urological surgery [ 13 ], pharmacology [ 12 ], orthopedic surgery [ 11 , 14 , 15 ], and ankylosing spondylitis [ 16 ]. The analyses performed within these publications offer more impactful information on key articles and help researchers better understand the influential works in the history of the specialty.…”

Research hotspots and trends of microRNA in periodontology and dental implantology: a bibliometric analysis

“…Bibliometric analysis has been widely used across many research fields (11)(12)(13). Through the quantitative analysis of a certain discipline's literature, we can construct its intellectual structure and explore its development trend.…”