Intellectual structure of knowledge in Andrology field (2008 to 2017): A Co-word analysis

Abstract

Background: The Co-word analysis has the ability to identify the intellectual structure of knowledge in a research domain and reveal its subsurface research aspects.
 Objective: This study examines the intellectual structure of knowledge in the field of Andrology during the period 2008-2017 using Co-word analysis.
 Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study with a scientometric approach, the WoS database was searched for papers indexed under “Andrology” over the period 2008–2017. The data were analyzed using Co-word, clustering methods, and strategic diagram with the help of SPSS, UcInet, RavarPreMap and VOSviewer software.
 Results: The highest publication rate in the area of Andrology was seen in countries like the USA, China, Italy, and Iran. The top three journals that published papers on the field were Fertility and Sterility, Andrologia, Human reproduction. The results showed that the keyword “Spermatozoa” and two pairs of frequently used keywords, namely “Azoospermia * Oligospermia” were the most frequent in the field of Andrology. The results of hierarchical clustering led to 13 clusters. The clusters “Reproductive Techniques” and “Spermatogenesis” are the core clusters and play an effective role. The ”Post-Testicular causes” and “Neoplasm” clusters are in marginal.
 Conclusion: This study represented that Co-word analysis can well illustrate the intellectual structure of an area. Considering the frequency of keywords along with the clusters obtained, it seems that the majority of research approach was seen on infertility treatments, especially through assisted reproductive technology. Despite the importance of psychological aspects as well as education of reproductive health, these subjects have not been sufficiently considered.

Worldwide research trend of publications concerning spermatogenesis over past 10 years: A bibliometric study

“…We understand that Dr. Makkizadeh's team also published a study in 2019 that is similar to our topic (Makkizadeh & Bigdeloo, 2019 ). Although the topic they researched was Andrology, which is larger than our topic, they came to some similar conclusions to us in their study: in the field of Andrology, the United States and mainland China are still the two leading countries, and Andrologia also performs well and is one of the most influential journals in the field of Andrology.…”

“…Analysis of journals in a particular field can provide valuable reference information for researchers looking for research hotspots or manuscript submissions (Forero et al, 2020). In this study, most of the journals that published articles related to spermatogenesis were in the field of 'Andrology and reproductive medicine', but the most published and cited journal was PLOS One, followed by the journal Biology of Reproduction (Figure 3a, Figure 5a), indicating that these two We understand that Dr. Makkizadeh's team also published a study in 2019 that is similar to our topic (Makkizadeh & Bigdeloo, 2019). Although the topic they researched was Andrology, which is larger than our topic, they came to some similar conclusions to us in their study: in the field of Andrology, the United States and mainland China are still the two leading countries, and Andrologia also performs well and is one of the most influential journals in the field of Andrology.…”

“…Bibliometric analysis has been widely used in many disciplines as an auxiliary research method (Wang et al, 2021). Although a large number of recent original articles and review articles on spermatogenesis have been published (Dura et al, 2022;Guo et al, 2022;Wu et al, 2022;Zhang, Wang, et al, 2022), and there are several articles published that are very close to the subject of this study (Makkizadeh & Bigdeloo, 2019;Zhang et al, 2016), to our knowledge, no bibliometric analysis on this topic has been published.…”

Recent Publication Trends in Radiotherapy and Male Infertility over Two Decades: A Scientometric Analysis

“…Scientometrics is an emerging field in science which deals with quantitative analysis of published scholarly literature that aims to focus on the expansion of a specific field of study through the assessment of bibliometric data ( Baskaran et al, 2019 ; Agarwal et al, 2022 ). Previous bibliometric and scientometric reports indicated a considerable growth in male infertility research ( Baskaran et al, 2019 ; Makkizadeh and Bigdeloo, 2019 ; Agarwal et al, 2021 ; Baskaran et al, 2021 ). Similarly, other bibliometric studies quantitatively analyzed global radiotherapy research and intraoperative radiotherapy ( Sole et al, 2014 ; Aggarwal et al, 2018 ).…”

A scientometric analysis of research publications on male infertility and assisted reproductive technology

“…Scientometrics is a quantitative analysis of the published literature that aims to shed light on the growth of a specific field of study through the evaluation of bibliometric data (Baskaran et al, 2019;Maula, Fuad, & Utarini, 2018). Previous scientometric studies on male infertility suggested an increase in the research focus on this field (Aleixandre-Benavent, Simon, & Fauser, 2015;Baskaran et al, 2019;Makkizadeh & Bigdeloo, 2019;Zhang et al, 2016). Baskaran et al (2019) reported an exponential increase in male infertility research over the past 20 years, from 3,311 articles published in 1998 to 8,772 articles published in 2017.…”