Bibliometric analysis of highly cited papers in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews (2007-2026): Trends, impact, and emerging themes.

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of highly cited papers (HCPs) published in Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews (DMSCRR) to understand the journal's research evolution, influential contributions, thematic priorities, and to compare the numbers and percentages of HCPs of the leading competing Indian biomedical journals. Data on 2908 publications (2007-2026) and for other Indian biomedical journals were retrieved from Scopus on June 25, 2026. The 105 HCPs (≥100 citations) were analysed using OpenRefine for data harmonization and VOSviewer for collaboration and keyword co-occurrence networks. Metrics included publication trends, citation impact, document types, collaboration patterns, funding, and leading contributors. HCPs for DMSCRR showed a marked surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 2020 contributing 55 papers (52.38%). The 105 HCPs received 26,415 citations (average 251.57 CPP). Research articles (53.33%) and reviews (42.86%) dominated. India led with 59 papers, followed by strong performances from Iran, the UK, and the USA. Key institutions and authors were primarily Indian. Keyword analysis revealed five themes centered on diabetes, pathophysiology, COVID-19, comorbidities, and immunology. Top HCPs focused on psychosocial impacts and AI applications in COVID-19. DMSCRR had the highest proportions of HCPs (3.61% of its total publications) with highest cite score among Indian biomedical journals compared. DMSCRR has emerged as a high-impact Q1 journal (CiteScore 8.6 and IF=4.3 (JCR 2025)) with strong national leadership and global relevance in research on diabetes, metabolic diseases. Its HCPs reflect timely responsiveness to health crises while highlighting opportunities for broader international and thematic diversification.