Cybercivility in Health Professions Education: A 20-Year Bibliometric Analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Digital Ethics
• Online Behavior

Background:

• Cyberincivility, characterized by online aggression, harms educational settings, academic honesty, and well-being.
• Maintaining a positive online learning environment is crucial for students and educators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze research trends and identify key studies on cyberincivility within health professions education.
• To map the landscape of cybercivility scholarship in this field.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed articles from the Web of Science database.
• Data collection spanned from 2004 to 2024, focusing on cyberincivility in health professions education.

Main Results:

• 193 publications were identified, with a notable increase in research output from 2021-2024.
• The United States leads in research volume. Key themes include social media, digital professionalism, and ethics.
• Research collaborations are concentrated in North America, Europe, and Asia, with underrepresentation from Africa and Latin America.

Conclusions:

• Cybercivility is fundamental for ethical digital conduct in health professions education.
• Significant research gaps exist in allied health fields and underrepresented geographical regions.
• Future research should explore the impact of emerging technologies on digital professionalism.