Khaddage-Soboh Nada, Tawil Samah
Adnan Kassar School of Business, Lebanese American University (LAU), Beirut, Lebanon.
School of Medicine, Lebanese American University (LAU), Beirut, Lebanon.
Heliyon. 2023 Nov 28;9(12):e22917. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22917. eCollection 2023 Dec.
The threat of the Corona virus has had a profound global impact, prompting extensive discussions among academicians and medical researchers seeking to understand its implications across various fields. Consequently this review aims to explore the COVID-19 research approaches adopted at the Lebanese American University (LAU) between 2019 and 2022 and, to eventually shed light on the importance of the academic publications during this crisis period in the context of Lebanon.
Studies related to "Coronavirus", "SARS-CoV-2," or "COVID-19″ were extracted from the SciVal database spanning the period 2019 to 2022. The identified studies, totaling 97 publications, were indexed in Scopus and Web of Science and underwent narrative analysis along with an evaluation using a predefined scale to determine their eligibility. The majority of the studies were literature reviews, followed by observational studies, modeling studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.
The majority of the identified studies (31 %) were focused on the medical field, primarily the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, 22 % of studies discussed updates related to global finance and economic markets, while 18 % addressed the psychological burden of the pandemic. Other areas covered in the literature included the impact on performance, nutrition, tourism, politics, and telecommunication.
This study marks a pioneering endeavor that sparks a crucial dialogue regarding peer-reviewed scientific literature during a period of immense need for accurate information. The prevalence of literature reviews can be attributed to the demand for swift dissemination of preliminary findings and the increased call for COVID-19-related research. However, despite the abundance of publications in this specific domain, it is imperative for future research to shift its focus towards the development of novel therapies, preventive measures, psychological insights, and strategies to address the socioeconomic and financial burdens stemming from the pandemic. This study has the potential to establish a standardized framework for addressing similar crises across diverse fields and at various levels.
The review readily acknowledges certain limitations. By solely relying on specific databases like Scopus and WoS, there is a possibility of inadvertently overlooking relevant studies. Although the study provides insights into the impact of COVID-19 across different fields and their respective publications, it is important to recognize that the continuous updates to databases and potential exclusions of related studies may have imposed constraints on the findings. Moreover, the urgency for expeditious peer-review during the pandemic may have heightened the chances of errors and diminished transparency. This urgency has unfortunately increased the risk of fraudulent activities and misconduct.
新冠病毒的威胁已在全球产生深远影响，促使院士和医学研究人员展开广泛讨论，以了解其在各个领域的影响。因此，本综述旨在探讨2019年至2022年期间黎巴嫩美国大学（LAU）采用的新冠病毒研究方法，并最终阐明在此危机时期学术出版物在黎巴嫩背景下的重要性。
设计、数据来源、纳入标准：与“冠状病毒”“严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2”或“新冠病毒病”相关的研究从2019年至2022年的SciVal数据库中提取。共识别出97篇出版物，这些研究被收录在Scopus和科学引文索引中，并进行了叙述性分析以及使用预定义量表进行评估以确定其是否符合要求。大多数研究为文献综述，其次是观察性研究、模型研究、系统评价和荟萃分析。
大多数已识别的研究（31%）聚焦于医学领域，主要是严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2感染的影响。此外，22%的研究讨论了与全球金融和经济市场相关的最新情况，18%的研究涉及疫情的心理负担。文献中涵盖的其他领域包括对绩效、营养、旅游、政治和电信的影响。
本研究是一项开创性的努力，在急需准确信息的时期引发了关于同行评议科学文献的关键对话。文献综述的盛行可归因于对快速传播初步研究结果的需求以及对新冠病毒相关研究呼声的增加。然而，尽管该特定领域有大量出版物，但未来研究必须将重点转向开发新疗法、预防措施、心理见解以及应对疫情所带来的社会经济和财政负担的策略。本研究有可能为应对不同领域和各级类似危机建立一个标准化框架。
本综述承认存在某些局限性。仅依靠Scopus和WoS等特定数据库，有可能无意中忽略相关研究。尽管该研究深入探讨了新冠病毒病在不同领域及其各自出版物中的影响，但必须认识到数据库的持续更新以及相关研究可能被排除在外的情况可能对研究结果造成限制。此外，疫情期间快速同行评议的紧迫性可能增加了出错的几率并降低了透明度。不幸的是，这种紧迫性增加了欺诈活动和不当行为的风险。
