Scientometric analysis of the world scientific production on tuberculosis associated with COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Nowadays, tuberculosis and COVID-19 are the principal infections around the world. This study aimed to determine the global scientific production on COVID-19 associated to tuberculosis during the period 2019-2020. Methods: For the collection of metadata on COVID-19 associated to tuberculosis, the Scopus database was used, considering the period 2019-2020, with the last day of update being September 13, 2021. The main authors, countries, institutions, journal metrics, and documents were extracted. The Scival tool was used for the scientometric analysis of the data. Results: A total of 464 papers were retrieved where it was found that universities in South Africa, the United States, and England led the world's scientific production. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease was the journal with the highest production and The Lancet Global Health was the journal with the most citations per publication. On the other hand, most papers were published in Q1 journals, with infectious diseases within the area of medicine being the most addressed. Conclusion: South African universities lead the world in scientific output. Most of the research on this topic has been published in Q1 journals, with collaboration being largely national. Further analysis is needed in the aftermath of the pandemic.