Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35852846›Full record

ArticleInteractive journal of medical research2022

Published Research on COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Bibliometric Analysis.

Randa K Saad, Sara Abu Khudair, Maha El Rabbat, Mayeh Omar, Mohannad Al Nsour, Yousef Khader, Salman Rawaf

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Interactive journal of medical research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Randa K Saad *Global Health Development| Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, Amman, Jordan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3108-6858
Sara Abu KhudairGlobal Health Development| Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, Amman, Jordan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6172-6898
Maha El RabbatPublic Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6190-6912
Mayeh OmarNuffield Centre for International Health and Development, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3459-2011
Mohannad Al NsourGlobal Health Development| Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, Amman, Jordan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1212-1611
Yousef KhaderDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7830-6857
Salman RawafDepartment of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7191-2355

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to unprecedented global research activity. The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) continues to contribute to COVID-19 research driven by the unique challenges of the region, including the protracted conflicts, already stressed health systems, and serious health and social inequalities.

objectiveThis study aims to provide an overview of the publication activities and trends in COVID-19 research in the EMR from the onset of the disease to early 2022 using bibliometric methods.

methodsA literature search using Scopus was conducted from December 1, 2019, to January 31, 2022, using keywords relevant to COVID-19 and the World Health Organization (WHO) EMR country list. Data were exported and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and the Citation Overview function on Scopus. The quality of journals was determined using SCImago Journal Rank and CiteScore. VOSviewer software was used to visualize the relationships between authors, countries, and key terms used in the retrieved documents.

resultsA total of 6880 documents were retrieved, of which 1805 (26.24%) were from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and 1782 (25.90%) from Iran, followed by Pakistan, Egypt, and Jordan. Most published documents were affiliated with EMR universities, primarily the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran and King Saud University in KSA (396/6880, 5.76%, and 370/6880, 5.4%, respectively), while only 407 (5.92%) of 6880 documents were associated with universities outside the EMR. For most of the identified publications (5020/6880, 72.97%), no funding source was reported, while King Saud University contributed the largest share (282/1860, 15.16%) of funded publications. Retrieved documents were cited 53,516 times, with an average of 7.78 (SD 34.30). Iran was the EMR country with the most links to other countries (77 links and total link strength of 1279). The 5 authors with the most publications were from KSA, Qatar, and Jordan. There were 290 high-frequency keywords that occurred ≥10 times and were linked in 7 different clusters. The cluster with the most linked keywords was related to epidemiology and mortality. Recent topics included vaccines, vaccination, machine learning, and online learning.

conclusionsThis is the first study to show trends in and project future developments of COVID-19 research activity in the EMR. Authors and institutions who led research on COVID-19 in the region were from Iran and KSA. There were multiple regional collaborative efforts; however, international collaboration was limited. Recently, interest has been shifting toward topics related to vaccination, machine learning, and online learning. Understanding the current state of research is instrumental to future research production, and our study will inform regional research initiatives on emerging concepts, as well as opportunities for collaboration and funding.

Indexed as

bibliometric analysisbibliometryCOVID-19depressionEastern Mediterranean Regionepidemiologyhealth care systemliteratureresearchresearch trendsocial inequality

Identifiers

PMID35852846
PMCPMC9384956

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.