[Network of international scientific collaboration on smoking: analysis of coauthorship through the Science Citation Index (1999-2003)]

Estimates of global research productivity in using nicotine replacement therapy for tobacco cessation: a bibliometric study

BACKGROUND

Tobacco use is a major healthcare problem worldwide. Tobacco smoking remains the most important risk factor for both cancer and heart diseases. This study was initiated due to the lack of published data concerning the real progress in research output in the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for tobacco cessation. This study was aimed to use bibliometric analysis to estimate the NRT literature indexed in Scopus database at global level.

METHODS

Core of the search strategy was the documents that contained specific words or phrases regarding NRT as keywords in the title. Publication output of most prolific countries was adjusted to the gross domestic product and population size. All citations analysis were accomplished on December 22, 2017.

RESULTS

A total of 2138 references were retrieved and published from 56 countries, which were published between 1970 and 2016. The USA has the most number of published articles accounted to 986, followed by the UK (312 publications) and then Australia (102 publications), and Sweden (102 publications). No data related to NRT were published from 156 countries. No significant correlation was found between the country population size or 2016 gross domestic product values and the number of publications of the top-10 most prolific countries in the field of NRT (r = - 0.156, P = 0.664; and r = - 0.173, P = 0.632, respectively). Furthermore, there is no correlation between prevalence of tobacco smoking and number of publications of the top-10 most prolific countries in the field of NRT (r = - 0.235, P = 0.514).

CONCLUSIONS

The present data reveal a solid mass of research activity on NRT. The USA was by far the predominant country in the amount of NRT-based research activity. NRT-based research activities were low or not available in most countries. The results of this study delineate a framework for better understanding the situations of current NRT research and prospective directions of the research in this field which could be applied for managing and prioritizing future research efforts in NRT research.

Co-authorship and scientific collaboration networks in Medwave

Scientific collaboration between researchers is one of the most important aspects in the evolution of science helping promote the quality of the studies that are carried out. In turn, it determines an increase in citations when research results are published in scholarly journals. It is interesting to explore the dynamics of scientific collaboration networks regarding co-authorship of scientific articles published in Medwave from January 2014 to September of 2017 and indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE. The largest collaboration networks occurred among authors Rada G, Corsi O and Peña J; and, at universities and healthcare centers level, in the Faculty of Medicine belonging to the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile located in Santiago, Chile.

Analysis of Production, Impact, and Scientific Collaboration on Difficult Airway Through the Web of Science and Scopus (1981-2013)

BACKGROUND

Bibliometrics, the statistical analysis of written publications, is an increasingly popular approach to the assessment of scientific activity. Bibliometrics allows researchers to assess the impact of a field, or research area, and has been used to make decisions regarding research funding. Through bibliometric analysis, we hypothesized that a bibliometric analysis of difficult airway research would demonstrate a growth in authors and articles over time.

METHODS

Using the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases, we conducted a search of published manuscripts on the difficult airway from January 1981 to December 2013. After removal of duplicates, we identified 2412 articles. We then analyzed the articles as a group to assess indicators of productivity, collaboration, and impact over this time period.

RESULTS

We found an increase in productivity over the study period, with 37 manuscripts published between 1981 and 1990, and 1268 between 2001 and 2010 (P < .001). The difficult airway papers growth rate was bigger than that of anesthesiology research in general, with CAGR (cumulative average growth rate) since 1999 for difficult airway >9% for both WoS and Scopus, and CAGR for anesthesiology as a whole =0.64% in WoS, and =3.30% in Scopus. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between the number of papers published per author and the number of coauthored manuscripts (P < .001). We also found an increase in the number of coauthored manuscripts, in international cooperation between institutions, and in the number of citations for each manuscript. For any author, we also identified a positive relationship between the number of citations per manuscript and the number of papers published (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

We found a greater increase over time in the number of difficult airway manuscripts than for anesthesiology research overall. We found that collaboration between authors increases their impact, and that an increase in collaboration increases citation rates. Publishing in English and in certain journals, and collaborating with certain authors and institutions, increases the visibility of manuscripts published on this subject.

A Scopus-based examination of tobacco use publications in Middle Eastern Arab countries during the period 2003-2012

BACKGROUND

Tobacco smoking is the main health-care problem in the world. Evaluation of scientific output in the field of tobacco use has been poorly explored in Middle Eastern Arab (MEA) countries to date, and there are few internationally published reports on research activity in tobacco use. The main objectives of this study were to analyse the research output originating from 13 MEA countries on tobacco fields and to examine the authorship pattern and the citations retrieved from the Scopus database.

METHODS

Data from 1 January 2003 through 31 December 2012 were searched for documents with specific words regarding the tobacco field as 'keywords' in the title in any 1 of the 13 MEA countries. Research productivity was evaluated based on a methodology developed and used in other bibliometric studies.

RESULTS

Five hundred documents were retrieved from 320 peer-reviewed journals. The greatest amount of research activity was from Egypt (25.4%), followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (23.2%), Lebanon (16.3%), and Jordan (14.8%). The total number of citations for the 560 documents, at the time of data analysis (27 August 2013), was 5,585, with a mean ± SD of 9.95 ± 22.64 and a median (interquartile range) of 3(1-10). The h-index of the retrieved documents was 34. This study identified 232 (41.4%) documents from 53 countries in MEA-foreign country collaborations. By region, MEA collaborated most often with countries in the Americas (29.6%), followed by countries in the same MEA region (13.4%), especially KSA and Egypt.

CONCLUSIONS

The present data reveal a promising rise and a good start for research productivity in the tobacco field in the Arab world. Research output is low in some countries, which can be improved by investing in more international and national collaborative research projects in the field of tobacco.

Bibliometric analysis of scientific publications on waterpipe (narghile, shisha, hookah) tobacco smoking during the period 2003-2012

BACKGROUND

Waterpipe tobacco smoking has spread worldwide. However, the evaluation of scientific output in the field of waterpipe tobacco smoking has not been studied yet. The main objectives of this study were to analyze worldwide research output in the waterpipe tobacco smoking field, and to examine the authorship pattern and the citations retrieved from the Scopus database for over a decade.

METHODS

Data from January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2012 were searched for documents with specific words regarding waterpipe tobacco smoking as "keywords" in the title. Scientific output was evaluated based on a methodology developed and used in other bibliometric studies: (a) total and trends of contributions in waterpipe tobacco smoking research between 2003 and 2012; (b) authorship patterns and research productivity; (c) collaboration patterns; (d) the citations received by the publications; and (e) areas of interest of the published papers.

RESULTS

Worldwide there were 334 publications that met the criteria during the study period. The largest number of publications in waterpipe tobacco smoking were from the United States of America (USA) (33.5%), followed by Lebanon (15.3%), and France (10.5%). The total number of citations at the time of data analysis (October 18, 2013) was 4,352, with an average of 13 citations per document and a median (interquartile range) of 4.0 (1.0-16.0). The h-index of the retrieved documents was 34. The highest h-index by country was 27 for the USA, followed by 20 for Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon.

CONCLUSIONS

The present data reveal a promising rise and a good start for research activity in the field of waterpipe tobacco smoking. More effort is needed to bridge the gap in waterpipe smoking-based research and to promote better evaluation of waterpipe smoking, risks, health effects, or control services worldwide.

Scientific literature among smoking and respiratory system: repercussion and collaboration

AIM

To analyze the distribution of the production, repercussion and co-authorship of articles on smoking in the «respiratory system» category through the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) and their inclusion in the first quartile of the Journal Citation Report (JCR).

METHODS

The literature search was performed in the SCI-E. Articles were selected for 2001-2010 for «respiratory system» using the descriptors «smok*» and «tobac*».

RESULTS

We found 1,858 articles (ignoring collaboration) on the topic of smoking. The median number of published articles by five-year period was higher for the 2006-2010 period vs. the 2001-2005 period; in contrast, the number of citations and the citation index was higher for documents published in the first five-year period. Some 40.47% (ignoring collaboration) of the articles (752 documents, ignoring collaboration) were published in first quartile journals. We found very well established and cohesive co-authorship networks.

CONCLUSIONS

Articles on smoking in the area of respiratory medicine increased in this time period, with 40% of the total documents in journals in the first quartile of the JCR. The citation rate was high, with the EU-27 countries having higher impact and repercussion. We found very well established and cohesive co-authorship networks.

Scientific publications and research groups on alcohol consumption and related problems worldwide: authorship analysis of papers indexed in PubMed and Scopus databases (2005 to 2009)

BACKGROUND

The research of alcohol consumption-related problems is a multidisciplinary field. The aim of this study is to analyze the worldwide scientific production in the area of alcohol-drinking and alcohol-related problems from 2005 to 2009.

METHODS

A MEDLINE and Scopus search on alcohol (alcohol-drinking and alcohol-related problems) published from 2005 to 2009 was carried out. Using bibliometric indicators, the distribution of the publications was determined within the journals that publish said articles, specialty of the journal (broad subject terms), article type, language of the publication, and country where the journal is published. Also, authorship characteristics were assessed (collaboration index and number of authors who have published more than 9 documents). The existing research groups were also determined.

RESULTS

About 24,100 documents on alcohol, published in 3,862 journals, and authored by 69,640 authors were retrieved from MEDLINE and Scopus between the years 2005 and 2009. The collaboration index of the articles was 4.83 ± 3.7. The number of consolidated research groups in the field was identified as 383, with 1,933 authors. Documents on alcohol were published mainly in journals covering the field of "Substance-Related Disorders," 23.18%, followed by "Medicine," 8.7%, "Psychiatry," 6.17%, and "Gastroenterology," 5.25%.

CONCLUSIONS

Research on alcohol is a consolidated field, with an average of 4,820 documents published each year between 2005 and 2009 in MEDLINE and Scopus. Alcohol-related publications have a marked multidisciplinary nature. Collaboration was common among alcohol researchers. There is an underrepresentation of alcohol-related publications in languages other than English and from developing countries, in MEDLINE and Scopus databases.

Comparison between two five year periods (1998/2002 and 2003/2007) on the production, impact and co-authorship of publications on tobacco and smoking by Spanish authors using the Science Citation Index

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the production, impact and co-authorship of publications by Spanish authors on smoking and tobacco between two time periods (1998/2002 vs 2003/2007) using Science Citation Index (SCI).

METHODS

The literature search was performed in the SCI-Expanded on 20 November 2008. All types of documents by Spanish authors were selected. The search was restricted to the title, and the key words used were "smok*" and "tobac*". The statistical analysis was descriptive (95% CI).

RESULTS

A total of 588 documents were obtained, with 399 (67.85%) original papers, 54 (9.18%) letters to the editor, and 35 (5.95%) editorials. Productivity increased between the 98/02 to 03/07 periods: 234 (39.8%) documents versus 354 (60.2%). We have found significant differences between the two periods (98/02 vs 03/07) in total mean annual documents (47 ± 8 vs 71 ± 16 [p=0.024]) and total mean annual original papers (34 ± 6 vs 46 ± 9 [p=0.041]). The mean number of citations per document was 14.1 ± 2.1 for 98/02 period and 5.6 ± 2.5 for 03/07 period (p=0.003). The co-authorship annual index had increased; with a mean of 6.77 signatures/document for 98/02 period to a mean of 6.87 for 03/07 period. Authors and institution networks collaborations had increased between the two periods.

CONCLUSIONS

Spanish production and co-authorship of documents on smoking and tobacco have increased between these two periods. The earlier period documents received more citations.

Taking stock a bibliometric analysis of the focus of tobacco research from the 1980s to the 2000s

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the body of tobacco research as a whole.

PURPOSE

This paper examines the changes in literature focus (1980s to 2000s) and identifies areas in need of increased attention.

METHODS

Tobacco articles randomly selected from searches of the MEDLINE and Web of Science databases were coded according to (1) epidemiologic framework component; (2) study focus; and (3) form of tobacco. Frequencies, cross-tabulations, and tests of proportions were conducted. The analysis was conducted in 2009.

RESULTS

From the 1980s to the 2000s, there was a significant decrease in tobacco-related articles focusing on the "agent" and an increase in articles focusing on the "host." Few articles in either decade focused on the "environment" or on the "vector" (<10%). The percentage of study foci addressing health effects decreased, whereas prevalence/use and cessation foci increased. Approximately two thirds of articles focused on the cigarette.

CONCLUSIONS

The nature of tobacco research has shifted from examining the links between cigarettes and disease to understanding why people smoke and how to help them quit. Proportionately more research could focus on the environment and vector components of the epidemiologic framework, to expand strategies for reducing tobacco-related disease.

Scientometric analysis and combined density-equalizing mapping of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) research

BACKGROUND

Passive exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is estimated to exert a major burden of disease. Currently, numerous countries have taken legal actions to protect the population against ETS. Numerous studies have been conducted in this field. Therefore, scientometric methods should be used to analyze the accumulated data since there is no such approach available so far.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A combination of scientometric methods and novel visualizing procedures were used, including density-equalizing mapping and radar charting techniques. 6,580 ETS-related studies published between 1900 and 2008 were identified in the ISI database. Using different scientometric approaches, a continuous increase of both quantitative and qualitative parameters was found. The combination with density-equalizing calculations demonstrated a leading position of the United States (2,959 items published) in terms of quantitative research activities. Charting techniques demonstrated that there are numerous bi- and multilateral networks between different countries and institutions in this field. Again, a leading position of American institutions was found.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first comprehensive scientometric analysis of data on global scientific activities in the field of environmental tobacco smoke research. The present findings can be used as a benchmark for funding allocation processes.

Tobacco control: visualisation of research activity using density-equalizing mapping and scientometric benchmarking procedures

BACKGROUND

Tobacco smoking continues to be a major preventable cause of death and disease and therefore tobacco control research is extremely important. However, research in this area is often hampered by a lack in funding and there is a need for scientometric techniques to display research efforts.

METHODS

The present study combines classical bibliometric tools with novel scientometric and visualizing techniques in order to analyse and categorise research in the field of tobacco control.

RESULTS

All studies related to tobacco control and listed in the ISI database since 1900 were identified by the use of defined search terms. Using bibliometric approaches, a continuous increase in qualitative markers such as collaboration numbers or citations were found for tobacco control research. The combination with density equalizing mapping revealed a distinct global pattern of research productivity and citation activity. Radar chart techniques were used to visualize bi- and multilateral research cooperation and institutional cooperation.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study supplies a first scientometric approach that visualises research activity in the field of tobacco control. It provides data that can be used for funding policy and the identification of research clusters.