Ethics code: IR.SBMU.RETECH.REC.1399.1217
1- Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Library and Information Science, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , shahbodaghi@sbmu.ac.ir
2- Associate Professor, Department of Medical Library and Information Science, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (613 Views)
Background and Aim: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are the most reliable sources of evidence in evidence-based practice. Analyzing the scientometric and authorship features of these articles at the national level can provide useful information for various decision-makers. This study aimed to investigate the scientometric and authorship characteristics of Iran’s systematic review and meta-analysis articles indexed in Scopus.
Materials and Methods: The current research was conducted using a scientometric approach. The research population includes 9579 systematic review and meta-analysis articles published between 2011 and 2021, and Iran is the affiliated country of at least one of the authors. The quantitative and qualitative growth process of articles as well as the authorship characteristics are examined in this research, among other things.
Results: Review of 9579 articles indicate an increasing trend in the publication, with the highest number of articles (2565) being published in 2021. The thematic analysis shows that the majority of articles are related to the field of Medicine, with 7112 articles, followed by Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology with 1433 articles. The highest H-index, 68, refers to the year 2018 and the highest percentage of articles included in the Hirsch Index horizon refers to the year 2011. The highest average number of citations per article is 146.44, observed in 2012, while the lowest is 4.62, reported in 2021. The highest average number of citations in relation to the age of the articles was 9735/34 in 2020, whereas the minimum was 279 in 2011.Calculating the percentage of articles above the H-index horizontal line based on total articles of each year, along with the average citation per article, shows a decreasing trend with slight fluctuations. On the other hand, there is a growing trend when considering the number of citations in relation to the age of the articles. The lowest average author count (5.48) is linked to 2011, whereas the highest count (12) is related to 2012. The first and the corresponding author of more than 91% of the articles was from Iran. In conducting the examined articles, researchers from the United States collaborated the most (12.05%) with researchers from Iran. University of Tehran, as the authors' affiliated organization, has contributed the most to the examined articles (27.81%). The Iranian Journal of Public Health has published the most of the examined articles (36/1%).
Conclusion: The articles under investigation show an increasing trend of growth, yet further research is needed to assess their qualitative trend. Given the rising significance of evidence-based practice, the stakeholders need to ensure the maintenance of the quantitative growth trend and the enhancement of the qualitative growth of these articles.