title: Global architecture of gestational diabetes research: density-equalizing mapping studies and gender analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with substantial morbidity for mothers and their offspring. While clinical and basic research activities on this important disease grow constantly, there is no concise analysis of global architecture of GDM research. Hence, it was the objective of this study to assess the global scientific performance chronologically, geographically and in relation to existing research networks and gender distribution of publishing authors.
  
  
  METHODS
  On the basis of the New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science (NewQIS) platform, scientometric methods were combined with modern visualizing techniques such as density equalizing mapping, and the Web of Science database was used to assess GDM-related entries from 1900 to 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve thousand five hundred four GDM-related publications were identified and analyzed. The USA (4295 publications) and the UK (1354 publications) dominated the field concerning research activity, overall citations and country-specific Hirsch-Index, which quantified the impact of a country's published research on the scientific community. Semi-qualitative indices such as country-specific citation rates ranked New Zealand and the UK at top positions. Annual collaborative publications increased steeply between the years 1990 and 2012 (71 to 1157 respectively). Subject category analysis pointed to a minor interest of public health issues in GDM research. Gender analysis in terms of publication authorship revealed a clear dominance of the male gender until 2005; then a trend towards gender equity started and the activity of female scientists grew visibly in many countries. The country-specific gender analysis revealed large differences, i.e. female scientists dominated the scientific output in the USA, whereas the majority of research was published by male authors in countries such as Japan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides the first global sketch of GDM research architecture. While North-American and Western-European countries were dominating the GDM-related scientific landscape, a disparity exists in terms of research output between developed and low-resource countries. Since GDM is linked to considerable mortality and morbidity of mothers and their offspring and constitutes a tremendous burden for the healthcare systems in underserved countries, our findings emphasize the need to address disparities by fostering research endeavors, public health programs and collaborative efforts in these nations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California, USA.|Department of Female Health and Preventive Medicine, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Dörthe
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brüggmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Female Health and Preventive Medicine, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.affiliation: Department of Female Health and Preventive Medicine, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Klingelhöfer
authors.affiliation: Department of Female Health and Preventive Medicine, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gerber
authors.affiliation: Department of Female Health and Preventive Medicine, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bundschuh
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jaque
authors.affiliation: Department of Female Health and Preventive Medicine, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany. occup-med@uni-frankfurt.de.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Groneberg
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D016208:Databases, Factual; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D062305:Geographic Mapping; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D011247:Pregnancy; D011642:Publications / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States
keywords: Density equalizing mapping; Diabetes mellitus; Gender; Gestational diabetes; Scientometrics