Forty-five years of disability and rehabilitation research: review of the journal Disability and Rehabilitation through bibliometric analysis.

PURPOSE

Disability and Rehabilitation has a history of 45 years. This article aims to comprehensively analyze the scientific production of this journal to celebrate and present its achievements over time.

METHODS

This study examines the performance of the journal's publications between 1978 and 2022, using indicators of bibliometric analysis and scientific mapping techniques. These techniques explore publication trends, emerging and discussed themes, institutions, countries, collaboration patterns, and citations.

RESULTS

In the journal's 45 years, 7369 documents were published, with an average annual growth rate of 15.18%, reaching 176976 citations in 7019 documents. The United Kingdom was the most productive, and the University of Toronto was the most representative (587 articles). Recurring themes were rehabilitation, stroke, and disability. The most consolidated research themes were rehabilitation, stroke, activities of daily living, and physiotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to scientific development in the field of disability and rehabilitation. The findings provide data to advance the understanding of academic practices in these fields and also provide valuable insights for the strategic planning, potential innovations, and future actions of the editorial board of the journal Disability and Rehabilitation.