A bibliometric analysis of highly cited papers on bacterial meningitis

Abstract

In this study, a bibliometric analysis was employed to investigate the publication landscape of highly influential research on bacterial meningitis from the year 2000 to 2023. The Dimensions AI database was utilized to identify the top 100 most-cited articles from a comprehensive pool of 55 scientific journals. The analysis unveiled a discernible trend of increasing research output over the specified timeframe, with the year 2008 demonstrating the highest concentration of publications (n = 14). Among the identified articles, "Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors in Adults with Bacterial Meningitis" by Diederik van de Beek et al. (2004) emerged as the most impactful, garnering a noteworthy 1176 citations. Furthermore, Diederik van de Beek himself established a prominent position within this field, authoring or co-authoring a significant portion (n = 14) of the top 100 articles, with a majority published in the esteemed journal Pediatrics (n = 9). Interestingly, the analysis revealed that the Netherlands contributed the most corresponding authors (n = 18), followed by the United States (n = 46).