The 100 most-cited articles on malaria: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Purpose The use of citation analysis to identify the first 100 articles on malaria offers unique insights into understanding the disease and subsequent follow-up treatment innovations over time. In this study, the 100 most-cited articles on malaria were analyzed, and key studies were highlighted. Design/methodology/approach The data of the most-cited articles for the period of four decades were extracted from the Web of Science database. The search terms malaria, plasmodium infection and remittent fever were used to identify the related articles for the study. Findings The preliminary data of the 100 most-cited articles were recorded and analyzed. The total number of retrieved articles was 55,517. Dondrop and colleagues wrote the most-cited articles focusing on a new treatment for falciparum malaria resistant to existing medications. The author, with the most publications, was N. J. White. The most-cited articles on malaria were published in 35 journals. The USA had published most of the influential articles, while the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit was the leading institute active in malaria research. The experimental method was the most frequent method used by the most-cited articles. There was a significant relationship between the number of authors, the presence of the corresponding author on Research Gate, the availability of the full text of the article on Research Gate, the impact factor of the journal in which the article was published and the international collaboration of authors and the number of citations on malaria. The most influential authors, countries, institutes, journals and articles were specified. Most of the notable articles on malaria were published in journals with high impact factors. A group of journals was introduced as the core journals. Originality/value It was found that having co-authors, the presence of the corresponding author on Research Gate, the availability of the full text of the article on Research Gate, the impact factor of the journal in which the article was published and international collaboration contributed to the publication of high-quality scientific products. Updated information on malaria is needed to present and expand the screening strategies to improve health and reduce burden of malaria.