Tracing the scientific outputs of lranian papers on Dermatology research based on publications in the Web of Science

Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin, nails, hair and its diseases. It is a Specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. Systematic research plans on any subject, including dermatology. Dermatology is in need of solid data to identify the gaps in the research. This study aimed to elucidate the most important trends, directions, and gap in this subject. The data, extracted from the Institute for Scientific Information, were used to perform a bibliometric analysis of the scientific productions (1974-2016) about dermatology. Specific parameters related to dermatology were analyzed to obtain a view of the topic's structure and document relationships. Additionally, the trends and authors in the most influential publications were analyzed. The results demonstrate the growth of scientific production in this field between 1974 and 2015. 533 institutes which were involved in writing the papers, with the Tehran Univ Med Sci and Shiraz Univ Med Sci at the top of the list respectively. According to the Betweeness Centrality Indicators of terms on the maps, the most active research areas in the field are as follows: Burn, Epidemiology, Treatment, Scar, Quality of Life, Vitiligo, Wound Healing, Platelet-Rich Plasma, Mycosis Fungoides, and Cryotherapy. Through performing the first scientometric survey on dermatology research, we analyzed the characteristics of papers and the trends in scientific production. Co-word analysis revealed outstanding is useful for policy makers to learn about the research status and make appropriate decisions for the promotion of scholarly products.