Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak has been a global pandemic. Researchers have made great efforts to investigate SARS-CoV-2. However, there are few studies analyzing the general situation of SARS-CoV-2 research at global level. This study aimed to characterize global scientific efforts based on SARS-CoV-2 publications. SARS-CoV-2 -related publications were retrieved using Web of Science. The number of publications, citation, country, journal, study topic, total confirmed cases, and total deaths were analyzed. A total of 441 publications were identified. China contributed the largest number of publications (198, 44.90%), followed by USA (51, 11.56%), Italy (28, 6.35%), Germany (19, 4.31%), and South Korea (13, 2.95%). Upper-middle-income economies (51.70%) produced the most SARS-CoV-2 publications, followed by high-income (45.12%), lower-middle-income (2.95%), and low-income economies (0.23%). The research output had a significant correlations with total confirmed cases (r = 0.666, p = 0.000) and total deaths (r = 0.610, p = 0.000). China had the highest total citations (1947), followed by USA (204), and Germany (54). China also had the highest average citations (9.83), followed by Netherlands (5.80), and Canada (5.43). The most popular journals were Journal of Medical Virology, Eurosurveillance, and Emerging Microbes and Infections. The most discussed topic was the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. Scientific research on SARS-CoV-2 is from worldwide researchers' efforts, with some countries and journals having special contributions. The countries with more total confirmed cases and total deaths tend to have more research output in the field of SARS-CoV-2. China was the most prolific country, and had the highest quality of publications on SARS-CoV-2.
Highlights
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak has been a global pandemic
This study aimed to characterize global scientific efforts based on SARS-CoV-2 publications
The global scientific output on SARSCoV-2 was illustrated in Figure 1, which indicated that East Asia, North America, and West Europe were the most active areas
Summary
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak has been a global pandemic. There are few studies analyzing the general situation of SARS-CoV-2 research at global level. This study aimed to characterize global scientific efforts based on SARS-CoV-2 publications. The number of publications, citation, country, journal, study topic, total confirmed cases, and total deaths were analyzed. The countries with more total confirmed cases and total deaths tend to have more research output in the field of SARS-CoV-2. China was the most prolific country, and had the highest quality of publications on SARS-CoV-2. The SARS-CoV-2 infection is more likely to affect older individuals with comorbidities, and can result in severe and even fatal respiratory diseases [1].
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