Mapping international collaboration in tuberculosis research from 1998 to 2017: A scientometric study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death globally, posing a significant public health challenge.
• Identifying trends in TB research and collaboration is crucial for understanding global efforts and identifying key players.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the developmental trends in tuberculosis research at the national level.
• To analyze collaboration features and identify high-impact countries in the field of TB research.
• To assess changes in publication output and collaboration over time.

Main Methods:

• Scientometrics and social network analysis were employed.
• Data were extracted from the Web of Science database for TB research published between 1998 and 2017.
• Analysis focused on publication trends, national collaboration rates, and citation impact.

Main Results:

• Publication output and collaboration rates increased steadily from 1998 to 2017.
• The United States led in highly cited publications; several European countries showed high relative citation impact.
• The United Kingdom and South Africa demonstrated the strongest and most stable international research collaborations.

Conclusions:

• Research activity and collaboration in TB have grown, but with significant international disparities.
• While international collaboration is increasing, domestic publications remain a substantial part of national output.
• Promoting more comprehensive and full collaboration is essential to advance TB research globally.