A bibliometric analysis of oyster research from 1991 to 2014

Abstract

In this study, a bibliometric analysis was performed to evaluate the global scientific production on oyster research from the period of 1991 to 2014. This analysis was based on the Science Citation Index Expanded database. A total of 11,493 publications were identified, and two main aspects were analysed: (1) publication performance and (2) research emphases and trends. The result indicated the annual publications on oyster study increased in number. The USA published the most papers in this field and was the most frequent partner in international collaborations. Pierre Boudry and Ximing Guo were the two most productive authors. The most productive institution was the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea. The Journal of Shellfish Research and Aquaculture were two most productive journals. Analyses of author keywords suggested that "growth" was the most frequently used term followed by "aquaculture". The major research areas related to oysters were "growth, reproduction and mortality", "abiotic factors", "biotic factors", "immunity", "ecology", "pollution", "nutrition", "aquaculture and food safety" and "methods or technology". Researches about "Vibrio parahaemolyticus", "norovirus", "Ostreid herpesvirus 1", "climate change", "ocean acidification" and "pH" have become increasingly more common. "Proteomics", "transcriptome" and "ecosystem services" have been the new research topics in recent years. Overall, our findings may serve as an alternative way to learn about trends in oyster research and contribute to future investigations.