Publication activity trends in the field of social media in rheumatology: a Web of Science-based bibliometric analysis

Social media (SoMe) is crucial in disseminating information and raising awareness about health conditions. In recent years, rheumatology specialists have increasingly utilized social networks to support and promote scientific research. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of global social media and rheumatology trends, identifying leading authors, citation patterns, and emerging research areas. The analysis used data exported from Web of Science (WoS) from 2015 to 2024. The search used MeSH-derived keywords, specifically “social media rheumatology,” without applying filters, covering January 2015 to December 2024 timeframe. A comprehensive search resulted in retrieving 251 publications. After ranking these publications and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 152 articles were included in the final analysis. A total of 152 publications were analyzed, revealing a significant positive trend in the number of publications over time (p = 0.001). The leading countries in terms of publication activity were the US (35.53%), the United Kingdom (32.24%), Australia (11.18%), Germany (9.87%), and France (9.21%). The research originated from 66 countries, but only 18 demonstrated substantial activity. The US led in scientific contributions relative to population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Regarding publication types, 137 (90.13%) were original research articles, while the remainder were review articles. The median citation count for original articles was 5 (range: 0–116), while review articles had a higher median citation count of 28 (range: 0–156), indicating that reviews were cited more frequently than original studies (p = 0.001). The median citation count for publications indexed in SCIE, SSCI, and ESCI was 5.5 (range: 0–116) and 6 (range: 0–116), respectively. Most publications were published in the following journals: Clinical Rheumatology (n = 25), Rheumatology Advances in Practice (n = 25), Rheumatology International (n = 16), BMJ Open (n = 12) and Journal of Medical Internet Research (n = 8). High-income countries, such as the US, the United Kingdom, and Australia, have significantly contributed to the field of social medicine in rheumatology, underscoring disparities in scientific research capacity across different regions.