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Review
. 2021 Oct;17(5):709.e1-709.e12.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2021.08.003. Epub 2021 Aug 11.

The top 100 cited articles in pediatric urology: A bibliometric analysis

Rano Matta  1 , Anthony J Schaeffer  2
Affiliations
Review

The top 100 cited articles in pediatric urology: A bibliometric analysis

Rano Matta et al. J Pediatr Urol. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: In the last 120 years, the field of pediatric urology has seen an exponential growth. In this time, there has not been a comprehensive review of top cited articles within the field.

Objectives: We aim to identify and categorize the top 100 most cited peer-reviewed articles in pediatric urology using citation analysis.

Study design: We searched for articles in the Web of Science™ Core Collection between 1900 and 2020 using terms specific to pediatric urology. We identified relevant pediatric urology articles and selected the top 100 most cited articles. We analysed trends over time for topics and categories and we evaluated the relatedness of these articles using citation analysis software.

Results: The top 100 most cited articles in pediatric urology were published between 1958 and 2016 in 26 countries, across 181 institutions, and in 46 journals. The median number of citations per article was 268 (IQR 225.75-394.25). Clinical manuscripts were the most common among the top 100 cited articles (n = 64) and the most common topic was genital conditions (e.g., penile, inguinal, or testis but not including hypospadias) (n = 19; 16.5%; total citations = 6591). When using bibliometric software to analyse relatedness among the top 100 articles based on citation of one another, we identified 11 clusters of 3 or more articles which corresponded to topics like those we defined a priori (Summary Figure). We found that a greater proportion of articles describing surgical techniques were published prior to 1987 (n = 6, 38%) as compared to after 1987 (n = 11, 13%), while the proportion of basic science articles has increased.

Discussion: This is the first study to analyse the most cited articles in pediatric urology. There was a lower median citation per article and fewer prospective studies in this list compared to other urologic sub-specialties. Similar to other clinical specialties, the focus has moved from describing and comparing operative techniques to exploring mechanisms of disease. This study is limited by using a single parameter (citation rate) and a single citation database.

Conclusion: The list of top 100 most cited articles in pediatric urology is an important resource for clinicians and trainees to understand the body of knowledge and trajectory of this field. It charts the evolution of the field and highlights areas of potential investigation. This objective approach to literature review can facilitate future research and education efforts.

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; Impact factor; Journal citation reports; Pediatric urology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of categories and subcategories of all top 100 cited articles in pediatric urology from 1900 – 2020. Total number of citations is summarized in the label along each bar. Genital conditions exclude hypospadias. Note: Total numbers sum to more than the number of publications since articles can be categorized in more than one category and subcategory. Abbreviations: VUR – vesicoureteral reflux, UTI – urinary tract infection, DSD – disorders of sexual differentiation, NGB – neurogenic bladder, VD – voiding dysfunction, LUTS -lower urinary tract symptoms, GU – genitourinary, OU – obstructive uropathy, Hydro - hydronephrosis, Cystic Kidney – cystic kidney disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Network map of clustering among the top 100 most cited pediatric urology publications. Clustering and linkages are based on the number of times articles cite each other.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The distribution of time adjusted impact index by the publication year for the top 100 cited publications in pediatric urology 1900–2020.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Pediatric Urology.
    Canning DA. Canning DA. J Urol. 2022 Jul;208(1):200-201. doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000002712. Epub 2022 Apr 20. J Urol. 2022. PMID: 35440152 No abstract available.

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