The Bibliometric Evolution of Neurosurgery Publications From 1977 to 2023

Area of Science:

• Bibliometrics
• Neurosurgery
• Scientific publishing

Background:

• Neurosurgery is a leading journal for neurosurgical science.
• While academic collaboration, data science, and authorship diversity have increased in scientific literature, the bibliometric evolution of Neurosurgery remains unexamined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze bibliometric trends in Neurosurgery publications from 1977 to 2023.
• To identify changes in authorship, collaboration, and research themes over time.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 29,755 publications in Neurosurgery (1977-2023) using Wolters Kluwer and Web of Science.
• Analysis of abstract keywords (2007-2023) and subspecialty themes using BERTopic.
• Statistical analysis including regression models for publication trends.

Main Results:

• Mean authorship per publication increased exponentially (2.4 to 8.4), while small authorship groups decreased (90% to 37%).
• Multinational authorship and affiliations per publication increased significantly.
• Female first authorship and MD/PhD senior authorship rose, with a shift towards review articles and away from case reports.
• Cerebrovascular topics dominated until 2020, with spine topics emerging in the 2020s.
• Database utilization increased 4.6-fold from 2007 to 2023.

Conclusions:

• Neurosurgery publications exhibit growing authorship, diversity, and collaboration.
• The journal's content has evolved, with prominent contributions in cerebrovascular and spine research.
• Increased database utilization reflects the growing integration of data science in neurosurgery research.