Mapping Scientific Production on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes: A Bibliometric Analysis of the 2000–2025 Period
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the scientific literature on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes between 2000 and 2025 using bibliometric methods and to identify major research trends in the field. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Records were filtered by publication year (2000–2025), document type (article), and language (English). After data cleaning, 2,304 articles were included in the analysis. Bibliometric mapping was performed using VOSviewer (v1.6.19), and statistical analyses were conducted using the Bibliometrix package in R. Publication trends, citation indicators, international collaboration networks, sport discipline distribution, and keyword thematic structures were examined. Results: A total of 2,304 articles published in 284 journals by 7,185 authors were identified. The average number of authors per article was 5.45, while the international collaboration rate was 21.88%, suggesting opportunities for strengthening international research collaboration in this field. The average citation count per article was 45.26, with an annual growth rate of 11.55%. Scientific production increased markedly after 2015. The United States was the leading contributor, followed by Sweden, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Soccer (67.06%) and basketball (12.76%) were the most frequently investigated sports. Keyword analyses revealed major research themes related to biomechanical risk factors, neuromuscular control, and injury prevention.Conclusion: Research on ACL injuries in female athletes has grown substantially over the past two decades, with a strong emphasis on biomechanical risk factors and injury prevention. Future studies should expand to underrepresented sports, age groups, hormonal factors, and multifactorial injury mechanisms.
Keywords
Sports Injuries, Female Athletes, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury, Bibliometric Analysis
References
- Ardern, C. L., Taylor, N. F., Feller, J. A., Whitehead, T. S., & Webster, K. E. (2013). Psychological responses matter in returning to preinjury level of sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 41(7), 1549-1558. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ardern, C. L., Webster, K. E., Taylor, N. F., & Feller, J. A. (2011). Return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the state of play. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 45(7), 596-606. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959-975. [CrossRef]
- Bahr, R. (2016). Why screening tests to predict injury do not work and probably never will…: a critical review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(13), 776-780. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Bittencourt, N. F. N., Meeuwisse, W. H., Mendonça, L. D., Nettel-Aguirre, A., Ocarino, J. M., & Fonseca, S. T. (2016). Complex systems approach for sports injuries: moving from risk factor identification to injury pattern recognition narrative review and new concept. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(21), 1309-1314. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Bolling, C., Van Mechelen, W., Pasman, H. R., & Verhagen, E. (2018). Context matters: revisiting the first step of the ‘sequence of prevention’of sports injuries. Sports Medicine, 48(10), 2227-2234. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Callon, M., Courtial, J. P., & Laville, F. (1991). Co-word analysis as a tool for describing the network of interactions between basic and technological research: The case of polymer chemistry. Scientometrics, 22(1), 155-205. [CrossRef]
- Childers, J., Eng, E., Lack, B., Lin, S., Knapik, D. M., Kaplan, D. J., & Chahla, J. (2025). Reported anterior cruciate ligament injury incidence in adolescent athletes is greatest in female soccer players and athletes participating in club sports: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery, 41(3), 774-784. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Cobo, M. J., López‐Herrera, A. G., Herrera‐Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2011). Science mapping software tools: Review, analysis, and cooperative study among tools. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(7), 1382-1402. [CrossRef]
- Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. [CrossRef]