Cardiology research in 57 OIC countries (2001-2025): Trends, impact, and collaboration patterns

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Bibliometrics
• Global Health Disparities

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading global cause of death.
• Significant disparities exist in cardiovascular research, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
• The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries' contribution to cardiology research is under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliometric analysis of cardiology research from OIC member countries (2001-2025).
• To examine trends in publication productivity, citation impact, journal quality, and collaboration patterns.
• To identify disparities and areas for improvement in OIC cardiology research.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of publications from OIC member countries.
• Data collection on publication output, citations, views, journal quartiles, and collaboration types.
• Analysis of trends from 2001 to 2025, including country-level and collaboration impact.

Main Results:

• OIC countries produced over 64,000 publications, with an eleven-fold increase in annual output.
• Citation and view counts peaked between 2013-2016 and 2020, respectively.
• Mid-tier journals (Q2-Q3) published most research, with increasing Q1-Q2 publications post-2015.
• International collaborations demonstrated the highest impact (29.7 citations/paper, FWCI 1.62).
• Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia led in publication volume.
• Lower-output countries showed high impact relative to their productivity.

Conclusions:

• OIC cardiology research shows substantial growth in quantity and visibility.
• Persistent disparities in research productivity, quality, and impact across OIC countries.
• Strengthening research capacity and fostering international collaboration are crucial for equitable advancement.