CME OnDemand: 2022 AOFAS Annual Meeting-A Citation Analysis Study of the 50 Most-Cited Articles on the Achilles Tendon

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This study aimed to determine the 50 most-cited articles on Achilles tendon pathologies and analyze their characteristics, publication trends, and correlation between citations and quality of evidence. A search was conducted on Web of Science using the keyword "Achill*" to identify the top cited articles. The methodology of the articles was assessed using the modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS). <br /><br />The mean number of citations for the 50 articles was 244, with a range of 657 to 157. The total number of citations was 12,194, and the mean citation rate was 12.6 per year. The impact factor of the journals in which the articles were published was 5.1. <br /><br />The study found that the citation rate correlated with the number of citations, the year of publication, and the Level of Evidence (LoE). However, it did not correlate with the impact factor. The year of publication also correlated with the LoE. The quality of the studies, as measured by the mCMS, correlated with the impact factor and the LoE. <br /><br />It was observed that only 51% of the primary studies had a prospective and comparative design, and almost half of the studies were classified as poor quality using the mCMS. <br /><br />In conclusion, the most-cited articles on Achilles tendon injuries are generally published in high impact journals. However, the methodology of these studies is poor in almost half of the cases. The Level of Evidence and citation rate of studies are increasing over time. The study emphasizes that citation-based indicators are not robust measures of quality in studies related to Achilles tendon pathologies.

Asset Subtitle

Alessio Bernasconi, MD PhD FEBOT, Arianna Sgadari, Antonio Izzo, MD, Domenico Marasco, MD, Francois Lintz, MD MSc FEBOT, Cesar De Cesar Netto, MD, PhD, Massimo Mariconda, MD, Francesco Smeraglia, MD, PhD

Keywords

Achilles tendon pathologies

most-cited articles

publication trends

correlation

citations

quality of evidence

impact factor

Level of Evidence

methodology

high impact journals