title: Bibliometric analysis of top 100 cited articles in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease research.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify and assess the research situation of top 100 cited articles in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The global scientific research articles in the Science Citation Index-Expanded relevant to NAFLD were retrieved and listed according to their citation times from the most to the least. The 100 most frequently cited original articles were selected to systematically evaluate their bibliometric parameters including times cited, publication year, journals, subject categories, and the highly related concepts of NAFLD, which reflected the history and current situation, publication distribution of leading countries and institutes as well as the research hotspots of NAFLD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Top 100 cited articles in NAFLD were published from 1965 to 2015 with a citation ranging of 227 to 2151 times since publication, in which the United States was the most predominant country and Mayo Clin was the most productive institution. The majority of the top 100 cited articles were concentrated in SCI subject category of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Hepatology and Gastroenterology is the top journal that published over half 100 top-cited articles. The significant peak of top cited articles present in the first half of the 2000s while the highest mean number of citation presents in first half of the 1980s. In addition, concepts related to pathology characteristics, epidemiology and medicalization, metabolic syndrome and its combination of symptoms including insulin resistance, biomarkers of lipid metabolism and obesity are listed as the highly related concepts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 100 top-cited articles marked with the leading countries, institutions, journals, hotspots and development trend in NAFLD field that could provide the foundation for further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Tong-Shuo Zhang, Hua-Lei Qin, Tong Wang, Hai-Tao Li, Hai Li, Shi-Hai Xia, Xiao-Hui Xiang, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Splenic Medicine, Affiliated Hospital, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin 300162, China.
authors.forename: Tong-Shuo
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Tong-Shuo Zhang, Hua-Lei Qin, Tong Wang, Hai-Tao Li, Hai Li, Shi-Hai Xia, Xiao-Hui Xiang, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Splenic Medicine, Affiliated Hospital, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin 300162, China.
authors.forename: Hua-Lei
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Tong-Shuo Zhang, Hua-Lei Qin, Tong Wang, Hai-Tao Li, Hai Li, Shi-Hai Xia, Xiao-Hui Xiang, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Splenic Medicine, Affiliated Hospital, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin 300162, China.
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tong-Shuo Zhang, Hua-Lei Qin, Tong Wang, Hai-Tao Li, Hai Li, Shi-Hai Xia, Xiao-Hui Xiang, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Splenic Medicine, Affiliated Hospital, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin 300162, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Tao
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tong-Shuo Zhang, Hua-Lei Qin, Tong Wang, Hai-Tao Li, Hai Li, Shi-Hai Xia, Xiao-Hui Xiang, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Splenic Medicine, Affiliated Hospital, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin 300162, China.
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tong-Shuo Zhang, Hua-Lei Qin, Tong Wang, Hai-Tao Li, Hai Li, Shi-Hai Xia, Xiao-Hui Xiang, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Splenic Medicine, Affiliated Hospital, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin 300162, China.
authors.forename: Shi-Hai
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Tong-Shuo Zhang, Hua-Lei Qin, Tong Wang, Hai-Tao Li, Hai Li, Shi-Hai Xia, Xiao-Hui Xiang, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Splenic Medicine, Affiliated Hospital, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin 300162, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Xiang
keywords: Bibliometrics; Medicalization; Metabolic syndrome; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Prevalence; Top-cited articles