The 100 Top-cited Studies on Ebola: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The achievements in Ebola virus disease (EVD) prevention and control can be reflected by scientific studies, particularly in the top-cited studies. The study thus aimed to identify and characterise the 100 top-cited studies of EVD. The study used a retrospective bibliometric-analysis, which was performed in January 2020. Studies were searched from the Web of Science using keywords: “Ebola” or “Ebola virus” or “Ebola virus disease” to identify the 100 top-cited EVD studies. Studies were analysed for the number of citations, authorship, and journal, year of publication, country and institution. The analyses were carried out using SPSS, HistCite and VOSviewer. The 100 top-cited studies were published between 1977 and 2017, cited from 169 to 808 times and had an average citation of 290.5, and 8 studies were cited more than 500 times. They were published in 31 journals, and the Journal of Virology published most of the studies (n=14). They were produced by 33 countries, and the USA published most of the studies (63), followed by Germany (8) and Gabon (6). CDC-USA (26) was the leading institution, while Geisbert TW and Sanchez A were the most productive authors. This study provides insights into the historical advancements reflected by the top-cited studies and has highlighted the leading roles played by various stakeholders in addressing EVD. However, the contribution of African countries is not sufficiently reflected among these studies, and so more focus, funding and involvement in clinical research is needed for effective prevention and control of EVD in Africa.