Subjects Clustering Analysis and Science Mapping on COVID-19 Researches in Scopus database

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated considerable knowledge in this regard in reputable international citation databases. The purpose of this study is to analyze subjects clustering analysis and science mapping on published research to identify the current state of sciences in the field of COVID-19 in Scopus.

This was a quantitative and applied study conducted by scientometric methods including words co-occurrence and network analysis. The study population was all published documents in the field of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 in the Scopus citation database by 31 May, 2020. VOSviewer software was used to analyze the data.

As of May 31, 2020, the United States (2,819), China (2,342), Italy (1,466), and the United Kingdom (1,264) had the highest number of scientific publications in the field of COVID-19 in Scopus. Iran was ranked 12th with 318 scientific publications. The three main clusters of research activities in the field of COVID-19 were health, basic science and clinical research clusters.

With the existing scientific capacities, the role of Iran and its medical universities in publishing scientific experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic can be enhanced. Accurate and comprehensive planning must be done in this regard. Determining research needs and developing applied research in three main areas, including health and prevention, basic and clinical sciences, should be considered in the management and leadership of COVID-19 research.