The response of the scientific community to a global crisis: a systematic review of COVID-19 research in 2020

Abstract

This article provides a bibliometric analysis of the direction of research relating to COVID-19 during the first year after the virus was first identified as a potential threat to public health. The analysis explores the number and topics of studies performed, along with patterns related to authorship, organisations and countries of origin. A sample of 2531 articles identified from the Web of Science is the basis of the study. The publications were grouped into five clusters based on their main focus. The results provide an insight into the response of the scientific community during the first few months of the crisis.