Visual analysis of hotspots and evolutionary trends in the field of postmortem interval estimation

Purpose: Through a visual analysis of the literature on postmortem interval estimation research collected in the Web of Science database, this study aims to explore the development process, research hotspots, and technical approaches in this field, providing a reference for scholars and professionals in related fields. Methods: It retrieves English-language articles related to postmortem interval estimation published in the Web of Science Core Collection from its inception until December 31, 2023, that meet the inclusion criteria. The study calculates the annual number of publications and citations and analyzes the trends. Based on these annual publication volumes, a second search is conducted for the period during which the number of publications in this field exceeded 100 per year, specifically from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2023. CiteSpace 6.2.R4 software is used to perform a visual analysis of the second set of retrieved documents. Results: The first search retrieved 1778 articles related to postmortem interval estimation research. The second search retrieved 1265 articles, with an average annual growth rate of 6.84%. Based on the publication trend line for this period, it is predicted that approximately 150 articles will be published in this field in 2024. Conclusion: In the future, the development of postmortem interval estimation will likely remain in a steady phase. Interdisciplinary interactions and constraints still exist. The future direction may focus on using multiomics approaches, combined with advancements in artificial intelligence, to establish comprehensive data models for more accurate postmortem interval estimation.