Emerging themes and future directions in space radiation health research: a bibliometric exploration from 2013 to 2022

Abstract

The impact of space radiation on health (SRHE) is extensive and significantly influences public health and space operations, making it essential to analyze global collaboration networks and track developmental trends over the last decade. However, bibliometric analysis in this area remains limited. This study aims to outline publication trends, citation patterns, major journals, key authors, institutional and national collaborations, and to explore emerging themes and future directions. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using CiteSpace, Bibliometrix in R, and VOSviewer on SRHE research from the Web of Science Core Collection up to November 12, 2023. The analysis included 390 records from 4,857 journals, involving 1,918 authors across 701 institutions in 53 countries. The predominant publications were Articles and Review Articles in Life Sciences and Biomedicine, with a notable publication surge in 2020. The most cited work was by Li et al. (2017), with Cucinotta F.A. as the most prolific author. The USA led in publications, citations, and collaboration strength, followed by Germany and China. Key journals include Radiation Research, Plos One, Life Sciences in Space Research, and Health Physics. Research has focused on radiation exposure effects, DNA damage repair, astronaut health risks, and radiation protection, with emerging trends in microgravity, astrobiology, and lifespan research, which examines the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging and the entire life course, aiming to understand and extend the health span-the period of life free from chronic diseases and age-related disabilities-rather than just the total lifespan. Future research may benefit from focusing on personalized radiation protection, exploring biological mechanisms, and embracing technological innovations, based on the trends observed in this study.

Keywords: Bibliometrix; CiteSpace; Health effects; Radiation protection; Space radiation; VOSviewer.

Fig. 1

(a) Type distribution of publications. (b) Top 10 popular research areas

Fig. 2

Annual publications from 2013 to 2022

Fig. 3

(a) Network visualization map illustrating co-citation authors. (b) Three-field plot of the Keywords Plus analysis: (middle field: authors; left field: references; right field: keywords plus)

Fig. 4

(a) Visualization of largest collaborative network among impactful institutions in citation and collaboration analysis. (b) Close collaborative ties among key institutions revealed through citation network analysis

Fig. 5

Communication and collaboration among leading nations in global space radiation health (SRHE) research

Fig. 6

Mapping significant journals in space radiation health (SRHE) research: Insights from co-citation analysis

Fig. 7

Co-occurrence analysis of keywords. (a) Network visualization map of keywords from related studies, segmented into five clusters. (b) Overlay visualization map of keywords categorized by average publication year (blue indicating earlier and yellow indicating later)

Fig. 8

(a) Trend topics in space radiation health (SRHE) from 2013 to 2022. The x-axis represents the year, while the y-axis depicts the cumulative occurrences of keywords over time. (b) Timeline review of keywords to explore trends