Assessment of influential authors and articles in spine surgery research: a narrative review

While other bibliometric analyses have looked at various topics within spine surgery, few have systematically examined highly cited authors and articles within this field as a whole. This study examined the most cited authors and articles within spine surgery research to characterize the intellectual architecture of the field by quantifying publication trends, citation patterns, and authorship networks. Understanding the influence of individual contributors and highly cited publications provides insight into shifts in research priorities and the evolution of evidence within spine surgery.

The Web of Science Core Collection was used to identify reviews and articles in 19 spine surgery-related journals from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2024, and the 20 most cited authors in first, any, and last author position and the 20 most cited articles from 1979-2024 and 2014-2024 were determined.

We found that there were repeat authors in multiple author categories and within the top cited articles, pointing to the presence of a core group of researchers that substantially contributes to research output within this field. Furthermore, comparing the most cited articles of all time to the most cited articles in the last 10 years revealed a shift toward a broader range of topics, higher level of evidence studies and an increase in the number of clinical guidelines.

These findings demonstrate the utility of analyzing citation trends and fostering high-quality, up-to-date research that includes a diverse set of perspectives to support the advancement of spine surgery scholarship.