Murat Koçak(1), Seda Kırtay(2), Zafer Akçalı(3)
1. Bakent University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Informatics, Ankara, Turkey. ORCID: 0000-0001-6510-3666
2. Marmara University, Faculty of Technology, Department of Telecommunication, Istanbul, Turkey. ORCID: 0000-0003-2415-9131
3. Baskent University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Informatics, Ankara, Turkey. ORCID: 0000-0003-2473-4431
Purpose: This study aims to explore the thematic and structural evolution of multi-omics research through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis using interactive science mapping tools. Specifically, it utilizes BiblioMaps, a web-based platform, to visualize global trends, key topics, influential authors, institutions, and collaborative networks in the field of multi-omics from 2015 to 2024.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted on the Web of Science (WoS) database using the following query to collect publications specifically related to multi-omics research: TI=("multi-omics" OR "multiomics" OR "integrated omics" OR "multi omics" OR "multi-modal omics" OR "multi-dimensional omics" OR "multi-scale omics" OR "multi-source omics" OR ("multi" AND ("omics" OR "omic" OR "omic data" OR "omic integration"))) AND PY=2015-2024 AND DT=Article. This search yielded a dataset of 5,835 articles published between 2015 and 2024 across 1,201 distinct journals and scholarly outlets. Bibliographic coupling was applied to group publications into topical clusters and visualize them interactively using BiblioMaps, which leverages Python libraries for enhanced interactivity. This approach enabled in-depth exploration of topics, subtopics, keywords, authors, countries, and journal sources. You can access the interactive map at: http://ankara.baskent.edu.tr/~muratkocak/
Results: The results revealed a steady increase in publication output over time, with a significant surge after 2020. The highest number of publications was recorded in 2024 (31.57%) , followed by 2023 (19.95%) and 2022 (17.36%). China emerged as the leading contributor with 50.78% of all publications, followed by the United States (23.67%) and the United Kingdom (5.98%). Approximately 26.21% of the publications involved international collaborations, highlighting strong global cooperation. Top contributing authors included Wang Y(122 publications), Zhang Y(112 publications), and Li Y(103 publications). Keyword analysis identified dominant themes such as “expression” (18.63%), “gene-expression” (6.96%), and “cancer”, reflecting the biological and disease-related focus of the field. The most active journals were Scientific Reports (Sci Rep-UK) , Nature Communications (Nat Commun), and International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Int J Mol Sci). Thematic clustering through bibliographic coupling grouped publications into 5 main topics and 22 subtopics, revealing the integration of diverse disciplines such as oncology, plant sciences, computational biology , and immunology under the umbrella of multi-omics research
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the utility of BiblioMaps in providing a dynamic and interactive overview of complex, interdisciplinary fields like multi-omics. The findings highlight the rapid growth of the field, its global reach, and the importance of international collaboration. The methodology and visualization tools used in this work can assist researchers, educators, and policymakers in identifying emerging trends, knowledge gaps, and potential collaborators. Future work will focus on extending these tools for real-time trend detection and broader application across other scientific domains.
Keywords: multiomics, bibliometric analysis, science mapping, bibliomaps, R-bibliometrix, interactive visualization, research collaboration