BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF ACUPUNCTURE RESEARCH FRONTS AND THEIR WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION OVER THREE DECADES
Autor: | Yun-Hua Zhao, Xu Zhang, Dar-Zen Chen, Mu-Hsuan Huang, Jun-Ying Fu, He-Feng Tong |
---|---|
Rok vydání: | 2017 |
Předmět: |
Country Distribution
medicine.medical_specialty Biomedical Research Citation index Acupuncture Therapy Research Front Alternative medicine 050905 science studies Bibliometric Article Acupuncture Bibliographic Coupling 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Drug Discovery Humans Medicine East Asia Endogenous opioid Traditional medicine business.industry 05 social sciences Science Citation Index Bibliographic coupling Complementary and alternative medicine Bibliometrics Family medicine 0509 other social sciences business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Primary research |
Zdroj: | African Journal of Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicines African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines; Vol 14, No 3 (2017); 257-273 |
ISSN: | 2505-0044 0189-6016 |
Popis: | Background: Considerable research has been conducted on acupuncture worldwide. This study chronologically examined the changing features and research fronts of acupuncture and elucidated the differences among the six most productive countries. Methods: Bibliographic coupling is a powerful tool for identifying the research fronts of a field. Acupuncture-related publications worldwide and from the six most productive countries during 1983–2012 were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Science Citation Index. To form the research fronts, the 100 most highly cited papers (HCPs) were clustered in terms of references shared. Results: The United States had the highest proportion of HCPs. The effectiveness of acupuncture in areas such as relieving neck and back pain, migraines and headaches, and knee osteoarthritis symptoms was a predominant topic. Initially, the endogenous opioid peptide system was the primary research focus in the acupuncture mechanism research; however, during 1993–2012, researchers focused more on the functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain activity. In addition, acupuncture use and prevalence, the attitudes of health practitioners, and the effects of expectancy and belief were also major topics. Researches from Western countries, including the United States, England, and Germany, showed more interest in clinical trials and economic- and ethics-related studies, whereas those from East Asian countries including China, Japan, and South Korea focused more on mechanism research. Conclusion: Western countries dominated the research fronts of acupuncture. The patterns of the research fronts varied worldwide, indicating continuity and innovation in research in each country. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
Externí odkaz: |