Exploring Evolutionary Medicine through Bibliometrics: Research Insights and Future Opportunities

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary medicine
• Integrative biology
• Biomedical research

Background:

• Evolutionary medicine applies evolutionary biology to understand human health and disease origins.
• The field has grown rapidly since the 1990s but lacks systematic bibliometric evaluation.
• This study provides the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of evolutionary medicine.
• To identify key research themes, collaboration patterns, and growth trends.
• To highlight gaps and suggest improvements for field visibility and impact.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Web of Science Core Collection with two search strategies for general literature and specific journal publications.
• Analyzed citation patterns, thematic clusters, and collaboration networks.
• Employed Bibliometrix and VOSviewer software for data analysis.

Main Results:

• The field shows steady growth with high citation impact from review articles.
• USA, UK, and Germany are dominant contributors.
• Key themes include drug resistance, infection, evolutionary mismatch, cancer, cognition, and mental health.
• Clinical translation, One Health, Planetary Health, and race-related issues are underrepresented.
• Metadata issues hindered the capture of publications from the journal *Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health* (EMPH).

Conclusions:

• The bibliometric overview identifies strengths and weaknesses in evolutionary medicine research.
• Enhancing visibility, equity, and clinical relevance requires interdisciplinary integration and broader international collaboration.
• Consistent field labeling in publications is crucial for advancing evolutionary perspectives in global health discourse.