He Kunyang, Wu Xiaochu, Qian Zhengyu, Lin Kaijie, Wang Yue, Su Zhikun, Zhang Tianyao
School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
The First Affiliated Hospital Of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Aug 8;104(32):e43764. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000043764.
Mendelian randomization (MR) utilizes genetic variants as instrumental variables to explore causal associations between exposures and outcomes. Despite a significant increase in MR-related publication volume in recent years, accompanying bibliometric analyses are lacking. Hence, our study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of MR articles published within the last 20 years to elucidate the current research landscape and identify potential future directions.
We searched the Web of Science Core Collection for articles related to MR from 2003 to 2023. The analysis utilized CiteSpace 6.1.R6 and Excel to examine annual publication volume, keywords, journals, countries, institutions, authors, co-cited references, and highly cited articles.
A total of 7801 articles in the MR field were retrieved between 2003 and 2023, demonstrating a rapid growth in annual publication volume. "INT J EPIDEMIOL" not only possesses the largest academic output but also boasts the highest co-citation. England contributed the largest number of papers, and the Univ Bristol topped the list with the most articles. George Davey Smith is the most prolific author. The article from Hemani G et al (2018) had the most co-citations. England, the Univ Bristol, and Smith, GD played pivotal roles in highly cited articles. Research hotspots primarily encompassed cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, biomarkers, inflammation, Alzheimer disease, cancer, age. Emerging research frontiers in the last 3 years featured obstructive sleep apnea, psychiatric disorders, major depressive disorder, and coffee consumption.
This study has reviewed the research status and trends in the MR field from 2003 to 2023. These findings provide invaluable insights and guidance for the future development of the MR field.
孟德尔随机化（MR）利用基因变异作为工具变量来探索暴露因素与结局之间的因果关联。尽管近年来与MR相关的出版物数量显著增加，但缺乏相应的文献计量分析。因此，我们的研究旨在对过去20年发表的MR文章进行文献计量分析，以阐明当前的研究格局并确定潜在的未来方向。
我们在科学网核心合集（Web of Science Core Collection）中搜索了2003年至2023年与MR相关的文章。分析使用CiteSpace 6.1.R6和Excel来研究年度出版物数量、关键词、期刊、国家、机构、作者、共被引参考文献和高被引文章。
2003年至2023年期间，共检索到MR领域的7801篇文章，年度出版物数量呈快速增长趋势。《国际流行病学杂志》（INT J EPIDEMIOL）不仅学术产出量最大，而且共被引次数最高。英国的论文数量最多，布里斯托大学（Univ Bristol）的文章数量位居榜首。乔治·戴维·史密斯（George Davey Smith）是发文量最多的作者。赫马尼·G等人（Hemani G et al，2018年）的文章共被引次数最多。英国、布里斯托大学和史密斯（Smith, GD）在高被引文章中发挥了关键作用。研究热点主要包括心血管疾病、代谢疾病、生物标志物、炎症、阿尔茨海默病、癌症、年龄。过去3年的新兴研究前沿包括阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停、精神疾病、重度抑郁症和咖啡消费。
本研究回顾了2003年至2023年MR领域的研究现状和趋势。这些发现为MR领域的未来发展提供了宝贵的见解和指导。
