International Publication Trends of Retinopathy of Prematurity Literature Over 40 Years. (November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vakharia, Paras P.; Huang, Natalie T.; Jankowski, Michelle; Thomas, Benjamin J.; Chan, R. V. Paul; Drenser, Kimberly A.; Trese, Michael T.; Capone, Antonio; Yonekawa, Yoshihiro
• Is Part Of: Journal of vitreoretinal diseases. Volume 1:Number 6(2017)
• Page Start: 392
• Page End: 396
• Publication Date: 2017-11
• Subjects: international -- global -- ophthalmology -- publication trends -- retinopathy of prematurity; Retina -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Vitreous body -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Retina -- Diseases; Vitreous body -- Diseases; Periodicals; 617.735005
• DOI: 10.1177/2474126417725217
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2474-1264

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis to evaluate the publication trends of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) literature over time, focusing on geographic and economic origins. Methods: A search for indexed English abstracts was performed in PubMed using search terms "retinopathy of prematurity" or "retrolental fibroplasia" from 1976 to 2015 and divided into 4 decades. Original research articles involving humans were included. Countries were grouped into high-, middle-, and low-income groups using World Bank criteria, and impact factors (IFs) were gathered from 2014 Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports. Results: A total of 5425 publications were identified, of which 2045 met the inclusion criteria. The ratios of publications per decade increased over time: 1976 to 1985 (5.4%), 1986 to 1995 (15.8%), 1996 to 2005 (25%), 2006 to 2015 (53.7%; Pearson r = .93, 95% confidence interval: 0.87-0.96). The rates of publications by income group were high—(82.2%), middle—(17.7%), and low—(0.1%). Respective mean (standard deviation) IFs by income group were 2.79 (4.87), 1.23 (1.17), and 0.42 (0.45). Top producing countries were the United States (37%), the United Kingdom (6.7%), India (4.6%), Japan (3.9%), and Turkey (3.5%). There was a significant difference between the time distribution of publications between high- and middle-income groups, where the latter has produced increasing publications in recent years ( P < .001), but in journals with lower IFs overall ( P < .001). Conclusions: Publications regarding ROP are increasing in number. Investigators from middle-income countries are increasingly contributing to the ROP literature but, overall, may not be recognized yet in journals with high IFs.