Structure of Global Knowledge on Coronavirus
Samira Daniali
*
Department of Library and Information Science, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
Maryam Emami
Department of Library and Information Science, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the structure of global knowledge on Coronavirus based on scientometric indicators as well as plotting a citation map to obtain more information in this regard.
Methods: The present research is applied in terms of objective and it is a descriptive study conducted using scientometric technique with a quantitative approach. The method of documentary or library studies was used to be acquainted with the history of the Coronavirus subject and theoretical foundations of research. In this study, all scientific products in the field of Coronavirus disease (including 6980 documents) were reviewed from 1985 to 2019 in Web of Science database(On April 10, 2020). VOS Viewer and Excel software were used for analysis to draw the citation map.
Results: With respect to Coronavirus, 20933 authors, 6980 documents, 1074 journals, 3683 institutions and finally 124 countries were involved in the production of documents in this field. Meanwhile, Yuen Kwok-yung produced 70 papers, received 3862 citations and ranked first among authors, Masters (2006a) had the first rank among documents, Journal of Virology was the top producer of documents, and University of Hong Kong was the top ranking institution. The United States, China, and the Netherlands were the first three countries in the field of Coronavirus document production.
Conclusions: The analysis results of Coronavirus citation network can be an effective step to better identify scientific products and track publications and ideas in this area for policymaking in line with treatment goals in the shortest possible time.
Keywords: Scientometrics, coronavirus, COVID-19, scientific map.