Cochrane systematic reviews in dentistry: an Altmetric and network analysis

Introduction Cochrane systematic reviews (CSRs) play an important role in evidence-based decision-making. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the social impact of CSRs in dentistry and the inclusivity and diversity of researchers contributing to one of the largest databases in health care research. Methodology The Altmetric and bibliometric data for CSRs in dentistry were obtained through Altmetric Explorer and the Dimensions database and were analysed to determine the trends. Furthermore, the correlation between the number of citations and the Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) was identified using Spearman's correlation co-efficient. Results Mendeley was found to be the most active Altmetric resource, followed by Twitter. The tweets were more popular among the members of the public (65.5%) and had a diverse geographic spread. The co-authorship network analysis revealed an overall dense network of researchers. In the co-citation network analysis, the Journal of Community Dentistry had the greatest influence. Moreover, a weaker correlation was noticed between the citation counts and AAS (r(s)=0.325; p <0.01). Conclusion CSRs had a modest social impact in terms of AAS; however, the social network of contributing researchers was diverse and the researchers affiliated with the University of Manchester, UK were found to have the strongest link.