Top 100 cited articles in osteopathic medical education: A bibliometric analysis

Bibliometric analysis is a method for analyzing the existing literature of a specific research area. Because it provides information about current research trends, the analysis can highlight attributes of frequently cited articles and identify areas for future research. To our knowledge, no such investigation has been conducted for osteopathic medical education.

To conduct a bibliometric analysis of the 100 top-cited articles in osteopathic medical education to identify characteristics of the articles and to explore the thematic structure and connections among common topics.

In October 2020, the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection was searched for osteopathic medical education articles authored by faculty associated with U.S. colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs). Search results included articles from 1975 to the present, based on the available dates of the indexes. Only articles in English were included in the search. Articles were identified using a three-stage search strategy and group consensus. Once identified, the following bibliometric characteristics were collected: journal name, journal impact factor, year of publication, article title, medical education research topic, authors, number of citations, and the authors' COM affiliation. Articles were then hand searched in several non-indexed osteopathic-related journals, collecting the same data and using Google Scholar for the number of citations. The 100 top-cited articles were extracted and included in our analysis. Bibliometric metrics were calculated and summarized to assess performance and impact. Science mapping by topics was conducted to assess article contents. Specifically, network analysis and clustering were used to explore the structure and relationship of topics covered in the articles.

Our WOS search identified 193,381 records. The highest 50,000 top-cited results were downloaded for screening, and an additional 89 records were identified from journal website searches. After initial screening and removal of duplicates, the title and abstract of 134 records were independently screened by each team member. Of those, 28 were excluded because they were not a U.S. study, authored by a non-COM author, or outside our study scope; six did not meet our exclusion criteria. The top-cited article was a systematic review that was cited 107 times. The journal with the most top-cited articles (28) was Academic Medicine, but BMC Medical Education had the highest number of citations per article (37.8). The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine tied for the highest number (15) of top-cited articles, but Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine had the highest number of citations per article (39.8). Network analysis and clustering identified four thematic groupings: humanistic and whole-person care; clinical science and training; educational technology; and health-care systems. The topics within each cluster were cohesive, yet clusters also communicated with each other.

Results of the current study provided valuable information about the most frequent osteopathic medical education topics published by authors affiliated with COMs and suggested that journal impact factor was not a direct contributor to number of citations per article. The cluster analysis also provided insight about interconnected topics in osteopathic medical education. Results from this bibliometric analysis may be useful to inform future research, encourage collaboration, and provide guidance for advancing osteopathic medical education research in the United States.