USF-LVHN SELECT
Distinct paths of impact: A bibliometric analysis of research trends in surgery, medicine, and biology (1980-2020).
Publication/Presentation Date
12-24-2025
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study characterizes temporal trends (1980-2020) of Surgery (SUR) research impact compared to Medicine (MED) and Biology (BIO) using Relative Citation Ratio (RCR), Field Citation Ratio (FCR), and Altmetric Attention Score. We hypothesize MED demonstrates significantly higher impact metrics than SUR.
METHODS: The 1000 most cited papers in SUR, MED, and BIO were retrieved for each decade (1980-2020) using Web of Science. RCR was generated via iCite; FCR and Attention Score from Dimensions AI API. Keywords were classified using UMLS Semantic Network subjects with MetaMap and entropy metrics assessed topic diversity.
RESULTS: All metrics increased significantly in MED and BIO, while SUR RCR and FCR remained unchanged from 1980 to 1989. MED demonstrated greater collaboration and funding proportions than SUR. Entropy analysis revealed MED and BIO diversified research topics over time, while SUR concentrated in specialized areas.
CONCLUSIONS: SUR research shows declining broad relevance with concentrated influence compared to MED and BIO.
Volume
254
First Page
116798
Last Page
116798
ISSN
1879-1883
Published In/Presented At
Boughanem, D. J., Gorla, S., Kendall, M. A., Zander, T., Wolansky, R. L., Harry, S., Kuo, P. C., & Sujka, J. (2025). Distinct paths of impact: A bibliometric analysis of research trends in surgery, medicine, and biology (1980-2020). American journal of surgery, 254, 116798. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2025.116798
Disciplines
Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
41610793
Department(s)
USF-LVHN SELECT Program, USF-LVHN SELECT Program Students
Document Type
Article