Worldwide Research Productivity in the Field of Arthroscopy: A Bibliometric Analysis.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to evaluate the quantity and quality of articles from different countries involving arthroscopy to investigate the characteristics of worldwide research productivity.


METHODS
Web of Science was searched for arthroscopy articles published between 1999 and 2013. The numbers of articles and citations were analyzed to assess the contributions of different countries. Publication activity was adjusted by country population and gross domestic product (GDP).


RESULTS
A total of 12,553 articles were published worldwide. The time trend for the number of articles showed an increase of 2.27-fold between 1999 and 2013. North America, Western Europe, and Eastern Asia were the most productive areas. High-income countries published 90.86% of the articles; middle-income countries, 9.11%; and lower-income countries, only 0.02%. The United States published the most articles (35.40%), followed by Germany (9.53%), the United Kingdom (6.80%), the Republic of Korea (5.45%), and Japan (4.76%), and had the highest total citations (78,161). However, Sweden had the highest mean citations (35.56), followed by Switzerland (23.39) and the Netherlands (18.90). There were positive correlations between the number of publications and population/GDP (P < .01). When normalized to population, Switzerland ranked the highest, followed by Finland and Sweden. When adjusted by GDP, the Republic of Korea ranked first, followed by Finland and Turkey.


CONCLUSIONS
The number of publications on arthroscopy increased significantly from 1999 to 2013, with a more than 2-fold increase in volume. The United States was the most productive country as measured by total publications, but when adjusted for population, Switzerland published the highest number of articles, followed by Finland and Sweden. When publications were adjusted for GDP, the Republic of Korea ranked first, with Finland second and Turkey third.


CONCLUSIONS
Bibliometric analysis allows us to understand contributions of different world regions in scientific research in the field of arthroscopy and gives insight into the quantity and quality of articles related to arthroscopy.
Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital 411 of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shanghai, China.
Zhimin
Z
Liang
Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital 411 of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shanghai, China.
Xuyao
X
Luo
Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital 411 of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shanghai, China.
Feng
F
Gong
Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital 411 of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shanghai, China.
Hongwei
H
Bao
Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital 411 of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shanghai, China.
Haiping
H
Qian
Graduate School, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: jiazhiwei@139.com.
Zhiwei
Z
Jia
Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital 411 of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: liguopla@163.com.
Guo
G
Li
D001182:Arthroscopy; D015706:Bibliometrics; D035843:Biomedical Research; D004526:Efficiency; D005060:Europe; D005202:Asia, Eastern; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009656:North America; D056910:Republic of Korea; D013548:Sweden; D014481:United States