100 Most-Cited Publications on Spontaneous Preterm Birth: A Bibliometric Analysis
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Published on: January 12, 2018
Dingya Cao1, Wenyin He2, Min Chen1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Fetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Background:
This bibliometric analysis systematically maps the global research landscape of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) by examining the top 100 most-cited publications, identifying key contributors, prevailing trends, and emerging research frontiers.
Methods:
The top 100 most-cited SPTB articles were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric indicators-citations, authors, institutions, and journals-were extracted. Visualization and trend analysis were performed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package "bibliometrix".
Results:
Publications spanned 1980-2021. The United States dominated (71% of articles). Leading institutions included the National Institutes of Health and Wayne State University. The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology was the most prolific journal (28 articles; H-index: 28). Mean authors per article were 8.8, with 26% involving international collaboration. Six major research clusters emerged: clinical prevention and therapeutic interventions; epidemiology, psychosocial determinants, and pregnancy outcomes; infection, inflammation, and parturition pathways; maternal and obstetric characteristics; population-level adverse outcomes and oxidative stress; and cervical assessment, prediction, and procedural interventions. Within the citation-defined corpus, later-appearing terms included "short cervix," "expression," and "vaginal microbiome".
Conclusion:
SPTB research has evolved from clinical risk factors toward a multidisciplinary field integrating epidemiology, molecular biology, and translational medicine. Continued interdisciplinary collaboration and advanced molecular/data-driven approaches hold promise for future breakthroughs.
