The 100 most cited articles in microplastics: a bibliometric perspective

This study focused on the 100 most cited articles in microplastic research published between 2008 and 2022, with 68% being original research and the remainder reviews and other formats. These articles amassed 113,160 citations, averaging 1,131 per paper. The most cited article received 3,847 citations, while the least among the top 100 had 717. Publications appeared in 27 journals, dominated by Environmental Science and Technology (n = 25, 29,965 citations). The United Kingdom led output (25 articles), followed by the United States (17) and Germany (16). Richard Thompson was the most prolific author (11 articles, 16,592 citations), while Tamara Galloway showed the strongest collaboration linkages. Keyword analysis identified “microplastics” as the dominant theme, with increasing focus on human health implications. This bibliometric overview maps key authors, journals, and themes, providing a foundation for future research and collaboration in microplastic studies.