Mapping the cancer research productivity of All India Institute of Medical Sciences: a scientometric study

PurposeThe All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a premier medical institution in India that has significantly contributed to cancer research. This study aims to highlight the cancer research productivity of AIIMS by assessing the impact and reach of the institution's research output.Design/methodology/approachThe study was based on 2,078 published papers on cancer of AIIMS indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database from 1989 to 2021. A combination of tools such as Microsoft Excel, Biblioshiny, BibExcel and VOSviewer was used to evaluate and visualize the selected data.FindingsThe analysis revealed the interdisciplinary nature of research outputs, which have collaborative contributions from various fields such as oncology, pathology, radiology and surgery. The most productive research area within cancer was found to be breast cancer. In terms of international collaboration, the analysis revealed that AIIMS has a strong presence in the global cancer research community, with collaborations with researchers from more than 50 countries.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, the study is limited to using only the WoS Core Collection database. Other databases, such as Scopus and PubMed, were excluded. Second, there is ambiguity in author names and nonuniformity in the institutions' names, which can significantly affect the study's outcomes.Practical implicationsIdentifying research productivity in cancer at AIIMS aids resource allocation, collaboration and strategic planning, enhancing India's overall cancer research impact and patient outcomes.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is to use scientometric indicators to evaluate AIIMS's research productivity with particular reference to cancer for the first time. This detailed analysis provides a deeper understanding of AIIMS's contribution to cancer research and its potential implications.