The orthopedics and sports medicine research in India from 2013 to 2022: Comparison with South Asia, European Union, China, and USA

Objectives: In the present study, we explored the research progress in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine within India and South Asia from 2013 to 2022. Materials and Methods: In November 2023, the data were retrieved from Scopus databases. Key indicators such as the number of publications, citations, citations per paper, field-weighted citation impact (FWCI), and distribution across journal quartiles were analyzed. Results: While India demonstrated a substantial contribution to the field, comparative analysis revealed it lags behind China, Europe, and the USA in both quantity and quality of research output. Specifically, India (6,498) and South Asia (6,983) exhibit lower scholarly outputs as compared with China (30,350), European Union (EU) (105,228), and the USA (100,041). Citations per publication reveal gaps, with the USA leading (17), followed by the EU (15.5), China (7.7), and India (7.6). FWCI placed the USA at 1.22, EU at 1.2, and lower values were noted for South Asia (0.74), India (0.70), and China (0.69). Conclusion: The distribution across quartiles indicated that India and South Asia’s comparatively lower emphasis on Q1 (21.30% and 21.72%, respectively), while the EU, China, and the USA demonstrated higher proportions (49.29%, 27.07%, and 53.05%). Conversely, in Q4, India and South Asia (15.04% and 14.87%) have higher concentrations, signaling a potential area for improving research quality. Recommendations include increased funding, interdisciplinary collaboration, investment in advanced technologies, and a focus on high-impact journals.