A Protocol for a Bibliometric Analysis of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine Research Preprints

Background: Traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) has witnessed significant growth in interest globally. Despite its popularity, TCIM research encounters numerous challenges including funding, methodological issues, and risk of bias. Preprints (scientific manuscripts openly accessible before formal peer review) present a potential solution, and understanding the characteristics and impact of TCIM preprints could offer valuable insights.Methods: A bibliometric analysis will be conducted on all TCIM-related preprints, since inception, and posted on preprint servers with TCIM subject filters. Preprints will be sourced from servers listed in the Accelerating Science and Publication in Biology directory which allow filtering by TCIM-related categories. The preprint server and URLs, preprint server’s disciplinary scope, ownership type, screening processes, external content indexing, permanence of content, preservation of content, and comments will be extracted. The number of TCIM-related preprints yielded, and which TCIM-related term each preprint server uses will be noted. Data will be extracted from each eligible preprint: preprint server, title, DOI, preprint posted date, status of preprint, journal of final publication, final publication date, type of preprint, abstract of preprint, authors, author affiliation(s), country of corresponding author, funders, number of views, number of downloads, number of comments, number of citations, number of versions, and keywords. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize the bibliometric characteristics, and trend analysis will identify publication patterns over time.Conclusion: This protocol was developed for a study to identify trends in TCIM research dissemination, and contribute to a better understanding of how preprints are being used to advance the field