This method can help answer key questions in the bibliometric analysis field about the available search databases and how to choose the most appropriate one. The main advantage of this protocol is that it provides a step-by-step approach to using different databases so that any researcher can perform a bibliometric analysis successfully. To analyze Jordanian research output during a five-year period between January 1st, 2013, and December 31st, 2017, using PubMed, open the Advanced Search form and enter Jordan as the search term, specifying Affiliation as the search field.
To exclude all documents authored by a researcher named Jordan from an affiliated country that is not Jordan, type Jordan in another field and select the field type Author. Select the NOT operator as the connector between the two fields, and click Search. Specify the publication dates from between January 1st, 2013, to December 31st, 2017, in the results window, and select Journal Article and Review from article types.
To analyze the Jordanian research output during a five-year period between January 1st, 2013, and December 31st, 2017, using Scopus, open the Scopus website and enter the appropriate Elsevier login information. Next, enter Jordan as the search term, and specify Affiliation country as the search field. Limit the search duration from 2013 to 2017.
Note that from 2013 means from January 1st, 2013, and to 2017 means to December 31st, 2017. Then, limit the document type to Article or Review, and click Search. To analyze the Jordanian research output during a five-year period between January 1st, 2013, and December 31st, 2017, using Web of Science, open the Web of Science website and log in with the appropriate Web of Science account information.
Enter Jordan in the search field, and specify Address. Identify the duration of the search as between 2013 and 2017, and click Search. Restrict the search using the Article and Review filters, and select to analyze the results saved in the search history now or later.
Then, indicate whether the results should be displayed in a table, a visual tree map, or bars. Here, the yearly trends in Jordanian publication during the five-year 2013 to 2017 interval according to the Scopus search and the Web of Science search are shown. According to the country of collaboration in the Scopus search, the United States of America is the most common country with which Jordanian researchers collaborate, followed by Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
According to the Web of Science search, the United States is the most common country with which Jordanians collaborate, followed by France and Austria. Of the 10 most common disciplines within which Jordanians have published, medicine is the most common, followed by engineering and the social sciences according to the Scopus search. According to the Web of Science search, of the 10 most common disciplines within which Jordanians have published, engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences are the top three.
While attempting this protocol, it's important to remember to select the appropriate database before starting your analysis. For example, PubMed is devoted to biomedical sciences only. Following this protocol and after downloading the results in CSV format, additional analysis methods like a bibliometric mapping can be performed for spatial representation of the results.
After its development, this protocol paved the way for researchers in all fields to explore the research trends in their disciplines easily and efficiently.
