Bibliographic analysis of psychiatric publications in Taiwan: An analysis of Web of Science subject category from 1970 to 2023

Abstract

Background: Mental diseases continue to rank among the top 10 leading causes of global burden. Psychiatric research is a crucial avenue through which mental healthcare can be enhanced. Taiwanese academics have constantly concentrated their efforts on psychiatric research and published their findings. A systematic examination of these papers will provide an assessment of the present state and contribute to the formulation of future policies for psychiatric research in Taiwan. We assessed psychiatric papers from Taiwan using the Web of Science (WoS) database. Methods: Academic papers in the Psychiatry category of the WoS database from Taiwan were retrieved and evaluated. The analysis included papers published in Science Citation Index-Expanded and Social Science Citation Indexed journals between 1970 and 2023, excluding meeting abstracts and corrections. Results: Of the 1,049,281 papers published globally in the psychiatry category of the WoS system between 1970 and 2023, 6,117 (0.58%) were published in Taiwan. Taiwan ranked twenty-sixth globally in terms of number of papers published. These publications have received 150,519 citations. Over the past 53 years, both the annual number of psychiatric papers from Taiwan and their citations received have significantly and rapidly increased. However, the average impact factor of publications remained constant over time. Conclusion: Over the last five decades, the number of psychiatric publications from Taiwan has increased. However, the average impact factor of these published papers did not increase over time. Investing in advanced research infrastructure and interdisciplinary projects may improve the quality and relevance of Taiwanese psychiatric research publications, potentially increasing their global citations and impact.