Bibliometric Analysis of Postgraduate Theses on Obesity Research in Turkey: Series 2019–2024

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to reveal the bibliometric characteristics of postgraduate theses conducted in the field of obesity in Türkiye.Methods:This descriptive and cross-sectional study examined a total of 630 theses recorded under the heading “obesity” between 2019 and 2024 using the National Thesis Center database. The theses were evaluated in terms of publication year, institution and department distribution, thesis type, academic title of the advisor, language of writing, conversion to scientific publication, journal index, and citation characteristics. SPSS 24.0 software was used for data analysis, and descriptive statistics including frequency and percentage distributions were utilized.Results: It was determined that theses were most frequently conducted at the University of Health Sciences and were concentrated primarily in the departments of Nutrition and Dietetics, Family Medicine, and Public Health. Thesis production reached its highest level in 2023. Of the 630 theses examined, 106 (16.8%) were converted into scientific publications. Among these publications, 69 had available citation-count data, with a total of 714 citations. To account for differences in citation exposure time, annualized citation rates were also evaluated. The median annualized citation ratewas 1.00 citations per publication-year (IQR, 0.67–3.71). Most theses were written in Turkish, and master’s-level studies were predominant.Conclusion: This study demonstrates substantial academic research activity in the field of obesity in Türkiye. However, the relatively low rate of conversion of theses into scientific publications highlights the need for greater support for publication-oriented research and international dissemination of postgraduate research.