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scientometrics and bibliometrics research

scientometrics and bibliometrics research is a research topic within Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty. Science Explorer counts 24k research works in it since 1950. 10.3% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on bibliometric analysis, research evaluation, and the assessment of scientific impact. It covers topics such as citation networks, collaboration patterns, open access publishing, social impact assessment, altmetrics, co-authorship networks, and interdisciplinary research.

  • Bibliometric Analysis
  • Research Evaluation
  • Scientific Impact
  • Citation Networks
  • Collaboration Patterns
  • Open Access Publishing
  • Social Impact Assessment
  • Altmetrics
  • Co-authorship Networks
  • Interdisciplinary Research
Research works
24k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
2.4k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.3%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+8%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
United States
31% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
scientometrics and bibliometrics research

Which countries lead scientometrics and bibliometrics research research?

By volume, the United States and China publish the most (1.1k and 576 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 United States 1.1k works
  2. 2 China 576 works
  3. 3 India 435 works
  4. 4 United Kingdom 337 works
  5. 5 Germany 274 works
  6. 6 Brazil 201 works
  7. 7 Canada 183 works
  8. 8 Russia 179 works
  9. 9 Spain 177 works
  10. 10 Italy 168 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 30.6%China: 15.8%India: 11.9%United Kingdom: 9.2%6 others listed: 32.4%31%largest
United States1,114 · 30.6%China576 · 15.8%India435 · 11.9%United Kingdom337 · 9.2%6 others listed1,182 · 32.4%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead scientometrics and bibliometrics research research?

By volume in 2022-now, Russian Academy of Sciences publishes the most scientometrics and bibliometrics research research, followed by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Wuhan University.

Who are the leading researchers in scientometrics and bibliometrics research?

The most-cited researchers publishing on scientometrics and bibliometrics research include David Moher, Douglas G. Altman and Jennifer Tetzlaff.

  1. 1 David Moher Canada 898k citations
  2. 2 Douglas G. Altman United Kingdom 862k citations
  3. 3 Jennifer Tetzlaff Canada 495k citations
  4. 4 George Davey Smith United Kingdom 435k citations
  5. 5 Julian P. T. Higgins United Kingdom 390k citations
  6. 6 Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta Pakistan 371k citations
  7. 7 Matthias Egger Switzerland 326k citations
  8. 8 John P. A. Ioannidis United States 317k citations
  9. 9 Gordon Henry Guyatt Canada 315k citations
  10. 10 Elie A. Akl Canada 313k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in scientometrics and bibliometrics research?

The most cited paper in scientometrics and bibliometrics research is "How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines" (Naveen Donthu, Satish Kumar, Debmalya Mukherjee et al., 2021), with 13,768 citations. Next come "An index to quantify an individual's scientific research output" (11,729) and "Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews" (7,615).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines Naveen Donthu, Satish Kumar, Debmalya Mukherjee et al. · Journal of Business Research 14 May 2021 13,768
2 An index to quantify an individual's scientific research output J. E. Hirsch · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open access 7 Nov 2005 11,729
3 Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews Micah D.J. Peters, Casey Marnie, Andrea C. Tricco et al. · JBI Evidence Synthesis Open access 22 Sep 2020 7,615
4 Analyzing the Past to Prepare for the Future: Writing a Literature Review Jane Webster, Richard Thomas Watson · MIS Quarterly Open access Jun 2002 7,348
5 Bibliometric Methods in Management and Organization Ivan Župič, Tomaž Čater · Organizational Research Methods 22 Dec 2014 7,271
All 98 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is scientometrics and bibliometrics research research done?

The largest centres of scientometrics and bibliometrics research research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Moscow (Russia), London (United Kingdom) and Paris (France). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Leiden and Hanover.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 116 works
  2. 2 MoscowRussia 105 works
  3. 3 LondonUnited Kingdom 85 works
  4. 4 ParisFrance 66 works
  5. 5 WuhanChina 55 works
  6. 6 NanjingChina 55 works
  7. 7 New YorkUnited States 50 works
  8. 8 MadridSpain 49 works
  9. 9 New DelhiIndia 44 works
  10. 10 MontrealCanada 42 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. LeidenNL · 28.9 works7.4×
  2. HanoverDE · 30.9 works7.0×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in scientometrics and bibliometrics research than the world average.

See scientometrics and bibliometrics research on the map

Where is the best place to study scientometrics and bibliometrics research?

Among universities, judged by research, Leiden University, Nanjing University and Université de Montréal score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%60%mean 21.91%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →University of Sheffi…Université de MontréalNanjing UniversityLeiden University
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Leiden UniversityNetherlands 69.215.6%8.9×25 -7.4%
2Nanjing UniversityChina 63.319.3%5.5×26 +68.6%
3Université de MontréalCanada 59.420.9%5.8×17 +34.6%
4University of SheffieldUnited Kingdom 56.534.8%5.0×13 -1.2%
5University of WolverhamptonUnited Kingdom 56.448.1%34.5×8 -60.3%
6Ikenobo Junior CollegeJapan 56.327.8%429.8×8 +260.7%
7Wuhan UniversityChina 54.911.0%4.0×29 +3.9%
8University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom 48.59.4%2.8×17 +59.3%
9Peking UniversityChina 48.013.1%1.6×17 +61.1%
10University of Hong KongChina 47.719.1%2.1×10 +21.6%

Universities only. The score blends excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in scientometrics and bibliometrics research, country by country

Is scientometrics and bibliometrics research research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 8% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are scientometrics and bibliometrics research.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is scientometrics and bibliometrics research as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.022% in 2024.

still counting0.010%0.020%0.030%scientometrics and bibliometrics research0.024% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of scientometrics and bibliometrics research over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%scientometrics and bibliometrics research10.6% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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