Evaluation of the 100 most-cited articles published in veterinary journals

Abstract

BackgroundThe most frequently cited studies in a given field are those which are pioneering and have been widely accepted by the academic community. The aim of this study was to analyse the 100 most-cited articles published in veterinary journals bibliometrically. MethodsThe 100 most-cited articles were identified in the Web of Science database. These articles were bibliometrically examined and visualised. The association between average citations per year, years since publication, number of authors, journal impact factor and article length were assessed by Spearman's correlation analysis. Bibliometric analysis and mapping processes were performed using RStudio software. ResultsAmongst the 100 most-cited articles published between 1980 and 2016, the year 2000 had the highest number of publications (n = 8). The total number of citations ranged from 475 to 1638; the median citation number was 608.5. The most-cited paper was published in 2004 by Desjeux. The country with the most publications was the United States, with 48 articles. A total of 145 institutions contributed to the 100 most-cited papers, with the University of California having the most publications with 12 papers. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the annual average number of citations and the years since publication (r = -0.769, p < 0.001). No significant relationship was found between the average yearly number of citations and other indicators. ConclusionsThe present study provides insight into research in animal health, offering a comprehensive understanding of the trends and contributions of research in this field.