Otizm araştırmalarının evrimi (1980–2024): yayın eğilimleri ve bilimsel etki üzerine bibliyometrik bir değerlendirme

Abstract

Amaç: Otizm spektrum bozukluğu (OSB), son kırk yılda hızla gelişen ve multidisipliner nitelik kazanan bir araştırma alanı haline gelmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, bilimsel yayın hacmini, atıf etkisini, önde gelen yazarları, kurumları ve ülkeleri belirleyerek 1980–2024 yılları arasında OSB üzerine yapılan yayınların bibliyometrik analizini sunmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) veri tabanında 1980–2024 yılları arasında yayımlanan OSB ile ilgili makaleler, Web of Science Core Collection kullanılarak 6 Ocak 2025 tarihinde taranmıştır. Sadece "makale" ve "derleme" türündeki İngilizce yayınlar dahil edilmiştir. Veriler Tab Delimited File formatında dışa aktarılmış ve VOSviewer 1.6.18 yazılımı ile analiz edilmiştir. Yayın sayısı, atıf sayısı, yazar ve kurum üretkenliği, ülke katkısı ve anahtar kelime eşleşmeleri temel göstergeler olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular: Toplam 23.198 yayın analiz edilmiştir. En çok atıf alan dergi Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders olurken, King’s College London ve Toronto Üniversitesi en üretken kurumlar olarak öne çıkmıştır. ABD, Birleşik Krallık ve Kanada hem yayın hem de atıf sayısında başı çekmiştir. En etkili yazarlar arasında Simon Baron-Cohen, Christopher Gillberg ve Tony Charman yer almıştır. “Nörogelişimsel bozukluklar”, “şizofreni” ve “Rett sendromu” gibi anahtar kelimeler, alandaki disiplinlerarası yaklaşımı vurgulamaktadır. Buna karşılık, eğitim, yaşam kalitesi gibi sosyokültürel konular literatürde sınırlı yer bulmuştur. Sonuç: OSB araştırmaları, yüksek gelirli ve İngilizce konuşan ülkelerde yoğunlaşmakla birlikte küresel olarak artan üretkenlik ve disiplinler arası iş birlikleri ile karakterize edilmektedir. Gelecekte yapılacak bibliyometrik çalışmaların, çoklu veri tabanları, çok dilli kaynaklar ve niteliksel analizleri de kapsaması; otizm araştırmalarına daha kapsayıcı ve bütüncül bir bakış açısı kazandıracaktır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Otizm spektrum bozukluğu, bibliyometrik analiz, atıf etkisi, araştırma eğilimleri, nörogelişimsel bozukluklar

Keywords

• Otizm spektrum bozukluğu
• bibliyometrik analiz
• atıf etkisi
• araştırma eğilimleri
• nörogelişimsel bozukluklar

Supporting Institution

Destekleyen kurum yoktur.

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma, kamuya açık veritabanlarından (örn. Web of Science, Scopus) elde edilen veriler üzerinden yapılan bir bibliyometrik analizdir. İnsan katılımcılar, hayvanlar veya hasta verileri içermemektedir. Bu nedenle etik kurul onayı uygulanabilir değildir

Autism research trends since childhood onset (1980–2024): a bibliometric perspective

Abstract

Aims: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become a rapidly expanding field of research over the past four decades, resulting in a large and multidisciplinary body of scientific literature. Bibliometric analyses offer valuable insights into publication trends, influential contributors, and the evolving structure of the research landscape. Methods: This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of scientific articles on ASD published between 1980 and 2024 in journals indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E). Data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on January 6, 2025, and analyzed using VOSviewer. Key bibliometric indicators included publication volume, citation counts, author and institutional productivity, country-level contributions, and keyword co-occurrence patterns. Results: A total of 23,198 publications were analyzed. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders emerged as the most cited journal, while King’s College London and the University of Toronto were the leading institutions in terms of publication volume. The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada led in publication output and citation impact. Simon Baron-Cohen, Christopher Gillberg, and Tony Charman were identified as the most prolific and influential authors. Keywords such as “neurodevelopmental disorders,” “schizophrenia,” and “Rett syndrome” indicate a strong interdisciplinary focus, particularly in neuroscience and genetics. However, socio-cultural topics such as education and quality of life remain underrepresented. Conclusion: ASD research is characterized by increasing global productivity and interdisciplinary collaboration, although it remains largely concentrated in high-income, English-speaking countries. Future bibliometric studies should incorporate multiple databases, multilingual sources, and qualitative approaches to ensure a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of autism research.

Keywords

• Autism spectrum disorder
• bibliometric analysis
• citation impact
• research trends
• neurodevelopmental disorders

Supporting Institution

No supporting institution

Ethical Statement

This study is a bibliometric analysis based on data retrieved from publicly available databases (e.g., Web of Science, Scopus). It does not involve human participants, animals, or patient data. Therefore, ethics committee approval is not applicable.

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