A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Ticks, their Distribution and Epidemiology from 1970 to 2023

Ticks are ectoparasites that inflict significant direct and indirect harm upon their hosts. They are distributed throughout the world but are more prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. The purpose of this bibliometric analysis is to scrutinize the research conducted on ticks to date. Data were retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) for this study. A total of 309 records were downloaded in Plaintext, Excel and BIB format. For data analysis and visualization, the researchers employed various software tools such as MS Access, MS Excel, Notepad++, Biblioshiny, Vosviewer, Python, florishStudio, etc. Results show that the year 2021(25, 8.09%) had the highest number of publications. Notably, De La Fuente (13, 4.2%) was the most prominent author. Of all journals, Parasites Vectors (18, 5.8%) contributed the most to this literature. With 81 publications (26.21%), the USA had the highest number of publications in this field. Oklahoma State University was the most productive institution, having published 20 papers (6.47%). The most frequently used keywords were "tick" and "ticks", "cattle", "prevalence", "risk factors", and "vaccine". This study reveals the current trends, hot topics and research gaps in the field of tick research, which can help researchers to develop a roadmap for future studies. The findings of this analysis may prove useful to businesses and academics alike, as they provide an understanding of the current state of research in ticks and tick-borne diseases.