Bibliometric and clinical trial registry analysis of the University of Split medical research from 1997 to 2022.

Aim: To analyze the most influential publications from researchers in medicine at the University of Split in Croatia, as well as their participation in publicly registered clinical trials, to gain insight into medical research excellence in the second largest university in Croatia.

Methods: For articles published in the top 5% of journals in 47 medical categories in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from 1997, when the School of Medicine became an independent University constituent, to 2022, we analyzed the number of articles in different discipline categories, citations to these articles, and geographical and institutional collaborations. From the public registry ClinicalTrials.gov, we collected the information on the number of clinical trials at the University of Split School of Medicine and/or the University Hospital of Split.

Results: Authors with a UNIST affiliation published 106 articles in the top 5% journals in 29 out of 59 WoSCC journal categories. The annual publication output significantly increased over the years. Over 80% of the articles were the result of collaboration with the global research community, involving 82 different countries. The total number of citations across these articles was 21 171, with a median of 187.4 citations per article. The first registered clinical trial in the ClinicalTrials.gov registry with a location in Split School of Medicine or the University Hospital of Split was in 1993, with a statistically significant increasing trend over the years. These trials represented 20.6% of all registered trials from Croatia.

Conclusion: The University of Split has been continually increasing its impact in medical research. Bibliometric analysis should be regularly performed to follow the development of medical research at the University, identify new strategic areas for research excellence, support researchers, and attract new researchers and research teams.