Knowledge syntheses in medical education: A bibliometric analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Bibliometrics
• Knowledge Synthesis

Background:

• Knowledge syntheses are crucial for evidence-based practice in medical education.
• Understanding trends in knowledge synthesis publication is vital for guiding future research.
• The landscape of knowledge synthesis in medical education requires mapping to inform scholarly work.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the knowledge synthesis landscape in medical education.
• To identify publication venues, synthesis types, citation rates, and altmetric attention.
• To provide a roadmap for future research and educational practice in medical education.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of knowledge syntheses published in core medical education journals (1999-2019).
• Data extraction from PubMed, Web of Science, Altmetrics Explorer, and Unpaywall.
• Analysis of 963 knowledge syntheses, including publication venues, types, citations, and altmetric scores.

Main Results:

• A 2620% increase in knowledge syntheses published from 1999 to 2019.
• Systematic reviews (35.4%) and scoping reviews (9.1%) were the most prevalent synthesis types.
• Average citations per synthesis: 53.80; Mean Altmetric Attention Score: 14.12.

Conclusions:

• Significant growth and methodological diversity in knowledge syntheses are evident in medical education.
• Increased publication volume contributes to a stronger evidence base for medical education.
• Social media is increasingly used to disseminate knowledge syntheses, impacting knowledge translation.