Bibliometric analysis: A few suggestions

Curr Probl Cardiol. 2024 May 11;49(8):102640. doi: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2024.102640. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

In an era marked by the exponential growth of scientific production, bibliometric analysis (BA) has emerged as indispensable tool for understanding the dynamics of research fields. In this review, we tried to provide a few tips which can be incorporated in BA. For instance; (a) solely presenting the number of publications per year is not an ideal approach. There is need to provide (at least) per-year citations and the total h-index of all publications, which may offer more nuanced and informative perspective on research productivity and influence. (b) traditionally, a researcher's performance has been assessed primarily through the number of publications and the h-index. While these metrics offer valuable insights into scholarly output and citation impact, this review aims to broaden the perspective on researcher evaluation by exploring a diverse array of alternative performance indicators. (c) co-word occurrence analysis has been a cornerstone for identifying thematic relationships among publications. We presented a few simple concepts i.e. keywords dynamic, and trends alongside traditional co-word analysis. The normal procedure of BA involves, data collection, publication trends, authorship and collaboration, citation analysis, keyword analysis, geographical and institutional trends, journal analysis, research impact, and visualization. We tried to provide some theoretical foundation, which may help the readers understand the context and principles behind the analysis.

Keywords: Authors performance; Bibliometric analysis; Co-words analysis; Yearly production.

Publication types

  • Review