A scientometric overview of 75 years of epigenetics research in poultry

The growing body of epigenetic studies with poultry has revealed the role of these mechanisms in improving performance, controlling diseases, promoting health, and increasing environmental adaptation. However, a comprehensive understanding of how research trajectories and scientific trends in this field are evolving is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the scientometrics of publications in the field of poultry epigenetics by analyzing publications retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database from its inception to April 2024. After initial filtrations and data quality control, a total of 1,954 publications were retrieved, with 30.29% published in the last 5 years. Results indicate a 6.28% annual growth in publications, with the highest number of publications in 2022 (131 publications, 6.72%). This surge may be partly explained by the post-COVID-19 increase in global investment in life sciences and renewed attention to sustainable livestock production. The United States, China, France, and Germany lead in publications, with the U.S. also having the highest scientific collaborations, particularly with China (71.9%). Poultry Science is the leading journal with 72 publications. Keyword analysis revealed DNA Methylation (212 occurrences) as the most frequent term, followed by Chicken (164) and Epigenetics (144). Notably, emerging terms such as Epigenomic profiling, Epigenetic editing, Somatic epitype, and Embryonic reprogramming—widely used in other vertebrates—were absent in poultry studies, suggesting significant research potential in these areas. This study shows that epigenetics is rapidly becoming a key and multifaceted field in avian sciences and is expected to play an important role in future developments and evolution. These findings can guide future research priorities, funding allocation, and interdisciplinary collaborations to further advance epigenetic applications in poultry science.