Trends in clinical reproductive medicine research: 10 years of growth

Abstract

Objective: To study the most important metrics of publication in the field of reproductive medicine over the decade 2003-2012 to aid in discerning the clinical, social, and epidemiologic implications of this relatively new but rapidly emerging area in medical sciences.

Design: Bibliometric analysis of most-cited publications from Web of Science databases.

Setting: Not applicable.

Patient(s): None.

Intervention(s): None.

Main outcome measure(s): Most productive and frequently cited investigators, institutions, and countries and specific areas of research, scientific collaborations, and comparison of the growth of reproductive medicine research compared with other areas of medical investigation such as obstetrics and gynecology and related science categories.

Result(s): We found that 90 investigators with more than 1,000 citations had jointly published 4,010 articles. A continued rise in the impact factor of reproductive medicine journals was seen. The number of publications in reproductive medicine grew more rapidly compared with other science categories. Presently 22% of highly cited articles in reproductive medicine research are published in journals belonging to science categories outside reproductive medicine. The most-cited study groups are situated in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and collaborative studies have been increasing.

Conclusion(s): Reproductive medicine research and subsequent clinical development have attained scientific growth and maturity. High-quality research is increasingly being published in high-impact journals. The increase in (inter)national collaborations seems to be key to the field's success.

Keywords: Bibliometrics; citation analysis; impact factor; network analysis; reproductive medicine; scientific collaboration.