Author: Sreejesh MS, Subramani Vellaiyan 👨🔬
Affiliation: Kuwait Cancer Control Center, All India Institute of Medical Sciences 🌍
Purpose: Bibliometric analysis is a powerful statistical tool for evaluating scientific literature and identifying research trends through the quantitative assessment of scholarly output. This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of Medical Physics research in India by examining publications in the Journal of Medical Physics to evaluate research progress, identify emerging trends, and explore strategies to align national efforts with global advancements in the field
Methods: The study analyzed 485 documents published in the Journal of Medical Physics over the last decade (2015–2024) to mainly examine research trends among Indian medical physicists. Key parameters included: 1) year of publications 2) Affiliation, 3) Country, 4) Author, 5) Co-authorship network visualization, and 6) Co-occurrence keywords overlay visualization using VOSviewer system
Results:
Research output doubled from 2015 to 2024, despite a slight dip around 2020, showing overall growth and resilience. As far affiliation is concerned, BARC, India leads in publications. Following India, publications from USA, Iran, Japan, and Australia are other key contributors. Ravichandran R leads in authorship on Radiation Oncology Physics, followed by SD Sharma, who leads in authorship on Radiation Dosimetry in India. Top keywords are of "dosimetry," "radiation dose," "treatment planning." Emerging terms include AI, proton therapy, and adaptive therapy. The citations increased steadily except in the year 2020.
Conclusion:
India's research output in Medical Physics has shown consistent growth over the past decade. This study recommends strategies such as SWOT analysis, developing a research curriculum, research workforce development, post-doc fellowship programs, research databases, seed funding, workshops for early-career researchers, and international collaborations. As these strategies are not currently in place in India, the role of the national professional association in initiating and implementing them will be crucial in strengthening research activities across the country.