Citation analysis of global public health literature

This study aims to analyze citation patterns, evaluate growth and impact metrics, and identify highly cited publications and leading contributors in global Public Health (PH) literature. Quantitative research methods within a scientometric framework were employed to analyze global PH literature from 2000 to 2015 using data extracted from the Scopus database. The dataset included 372,260 documents such as research articles, reviews, books, and conference proceedings. Data analysis was conducted using MS-Excel and Publish or Perish software (version 5). During the period 2000-2015, 8.90% of publications in PH were cited in 2013, while 3.16% were cited in 2001, indicating variability in citation rates over time. The average number of citations per publication, including both cited and un-cited, was 16.21, with cited articles averaging 22.51 citations each. The Rate of Growth (RoG) for cited publications ranged from 0.79 to 1.27 (average 1.06), and for citations, it ranged from 0.52 to 1.40 (average 0.96). The highest Relative Growth Rate (RGR) for cited publications was 0.68 in 2001, with a doubling time of 1.02 years, while the lowest RGR was 0.07 in 2015, requiring 9.90 years for doubling. One article garnered over 10,000 citations, while 589 publications obtained 500 or more citations overall, with 70.80% of those citations falling between the 500–999 citation range. McKee from the United Kingdom, affiliated with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, contributed the most documents (292), followed by Bateman from South Africa (226). McKee had the highest h-index (75) and g -index (141) among authors, indicating significant scholarly impact despite a lower hI, norm (33), suggesting frequent collaboration. This study contributes valuable information for understanding research impact and trends within the field, aiding researchers, policymakers, and institutions in assessing and promoting impactful PH research.