TY - JOUR
T1 - A bibliometric analysis of acupuncture research in Taiwan from 1988 to 2017
AU - Li, Tsai Feng
AU - Kung, Yen Ying
AU - Tsai, Cheng Hung
AU - Hwang, Shinn Jang
AU - Chen, Fang Pey
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2019, the Chinese Medical Association.
PY - 2019/5
Y1 - 2019/5
N2 - Background: Since Taiwan’s national health insurance system provides residents with easy and affordable access to clinical acupuncture treatment, this study sought to analyze trends in the publication of acupuncture-related research in Taiwan from 1988 to 2017, using a bibliometric method. Methods: Data on the scholarly literature from 1988 to 2017 were retrieved through Web of Science searches for the keywords acupunct*, acupoint*, electroacupunct*, electro-acupunct*, acupre*, auricular acupunc*, and auricular needle* in study titles. Results: A total of 539 acupuncture-related articles published from 1988 to 2017 were identified and analyzed. The articles had an h-index of 38 and were cited in subsequent studies 7250 times, meaning that Taiwan ranked sixth in the production of such publications among countries/regions globally. Among those articles, 99 (18.4%) had no subsequent citations, six (1.1%) were highly cited (over 100 citations), and 141 (26.1%) were cited 4 to 10 times. The highly cited articles discussed the possible pathways of acupuncture stimulation and efficacy, and received 1103 (15.2%) of the citations. Conclusion: The China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan, was the most active educational institution in Taiwan in terms of acupuncture-related research. Professor Lin Jaung-Geng was the leading acupuncture-related researcher, having the most publications, citations, and the highest h-index value. These results provided a context for analyzing the strengths of the existing research and informing prospective strategies for further studies.
AB - Background: Since Taiwan’s national health insurance system provides residents with easy and affordable access to clinical acupuncture treatment, this study sought to analyze trends in the publication of acupuncture-related research in Taiwan from 1988 to 2017, using a bibliometric method. Methods: Data on the scholarly literature from 1988 to 2017 were retrieved through Web of Science searches for the keywords acupunct*, acupoint*, electroacupunct*, electro-acupunct*, acupre*, auricular acupunc*, and auricular needle* in study titles. Results: A total of 539 acupuncture-related articles published from 1988 to 2017 were identified and analyzed. The articles had an h-index of 38 and were cited in subsequent studies 7250 times, meaning that Taiwan ranked sixth in the production of such publications among countries/regions globally. Among those articles, 99 (18.4%) had no subsequent citations, six (1.1%) were highly cited (over 100 citations), and 141 (26.1%) were cited 4 to 10 times. The highly cited articles discussed the possible pathways of acupuncture stimulation and efficacy, and received 1103 (15.2%) of the citations. Conclusion: The China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan, was the most active educational institution in Taiwan in terms of acupuncture-related research. Professor Lin Jaung-Geng was the leading acupuncture-related researcher, having the most publications, citations, and the highest h-index value. These results provided a context for analyzing the strengths of the existing research and informing prospective strategies for further studies.
KW - Acupuncture
KW - Bibliometric method
KW - H-index
KW - Traditional Chinese medicine
KW - Web of Science
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85065599185&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/JCMA.0000000000000093
DO - 10.1097/JCMA.0000000000000093
M3 - Article
C2 - 30896581
AN - SCOPUS:85065599185
SN - 1726-4901
VL - 82
SP - 428
EP - 435
JO - Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
JF - Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
IS - 5
ER -