
==== Front
Int J Surg
Int J Surg
JS9
International Journal of Surgery (London, England)
1743-9191
1743-9159
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Hagerstown, MD

38818682
IJS-D-24-02064
10.1097/JS9.0000000000001717
00124
3
Correspondence
A commentary on ‘Characterization of research trends and prospects on hepatic echinococcosis over the past forty years: a bibliometric analysis’
Shi Yanlong MD avvshiyanlong@qq.com

Zhou Feilong MD a2403583697@qq.com

Li Xinhao MD 1028772259@qq.com
a
Jiang Fei MD b*ayfyjiangfei@163.com

a Hepatopancreatobiliary Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province
b Department of General Surgery, Fuyang Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Fuyang, Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China
* Corresponding author. Address: No. 99, Huangshan Road, Fuyang 236000, Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China. Tel.: +86 176 833 087 19. E-mail: ayfyjiangfei@163.com (F. Jiang).
9 2024
29 5 2024
110 9 59915992
15 5 2024
19 5 2024
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

OPEN-ACCESSTRUE
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pmc Dear Editor,

Recently, we, with great interest, read an article published in the International Journal of Surgery by Li et al.1 We thank the authors for providing a broad global perspective on Hepatic Echinococcosis-related research, revealing novel trends and future directions in the field. These insights offer a valuable reference for later studies in this domain. As regards the article, we would like to raise several opinions for further discussion.

First, the literature retrieval database used by the authors is not appropriate. It is well known that the authoritative database, Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC), consists of many sublibraries from different subjects2. If multiple databases are used, this may lead to information mixing and results bias. To enhance the accuracy and scientificity of analysis results, the majority of scholars tend to choose Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. It would be perfect if the authors could validate the results in the SCIE database.

Second, the inclusion and exclusion criteria are subject to further consideration. The authors mentioned in the section on Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria that ‘The inclusion criteria encompassed published records exclusively written in English, with a specific focus on Hepatic Echinococcosis-related articles and reviews’. As a branch of systematic review, bibliometrics is a method to integrate and summarize primary literature3. Therefore, it is better to conduct an article for bibliometric analysis.

Third, Information Resources Management should take into the value. In Figure 7B–D, the authors carried out overlay visualization and citation burst analysis of keywords. However, there are many keywords that have the same meaning, such as ‘cysts’ and ‘cyst’, ‘surgery’ and ‘surgical treatment’. This phenomenon will bias the results of keyword clustering, leading to the masking of other important research hotspots and directions. Data cleansing is a method that involves detecting and removing errors and inconsistencies in data to improve data quality4. To obtain precise data, it is suitable to merge synonymous keywords.

At last, the novel method, h-index, as an analysis factor will make this research more valuable. Although the authors made a detailed analysis of the number of annual publications by journals, countries, authors, and institutions, there is no comprehensive consideration of their academic influence. For example, the total number of Ragland, N is not in the top five, but one of his articles has been cited 326 times in this filed5.

In a word, we are sincerely grateful to Li and colleagues for drawing a comprehensive Hepatic Echinococcosis-related research from a bibliometrics and visualization perspective. By improving the above recommendations, the scientific value of bibliometrics will be greatly enhanced in this area.

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Consent

Not applicable.

Source of funding

Not applicable.

Author contribution

Y.S. and F.Z.: searched literatures and wrote the first draft; X.L.: revised the final manuscript. All authors approved the last version of the manuscript.

Conflicts of interest disclosure

There are no conflicts of interest.

Research registration unique identifying number (UIN)

Not applicable.

Guarantor

Fei Jiang.

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Provenance and peer review

Not applicable.

Acknowledgements

Not applicable.

Yanlong Shi, Feilong Zhou, and Xinhao Li contributed equally to this work and shared the first authorship.

Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article.

Published online 29 May 2024
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References

1 Li T Su W Wang Z . Characterization of research trends and prospects on hepatic echinococcosis over the past forty years: a bibliometric analysis. Int J Surg (London, England) 2024. [Epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1097/js9.0000000000001319
2 Ghattas YS Kyin C Grise A . Trends in female authorship in orthopaedic literature from 2002 to 2021: an analysis of 168,451 authors. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2023;105 :1285–1294.37155604
3 Wang L Wang Y Li X . A commentary on “Mapping the landscape of immunonutrition and cancer research: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis on behalf of NutriOnc research group”. Int J Surg (London, England) 2024. [Epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1097/js9.0000000000001400
4 Wang JY Zhao WL Zhang Z . A journey of challenges and victories: a bibliometric worldview of nanomedicine since the 21st century. Adv Mater 2024;36 :e2308915.38229552
5 Torgerson PR Keller K Magnotta M . The global burden of alveolar echinococcosis. PLoS Neglect Trop Dis 2010;4 :e722.
