Mapping the Scientific Landscape of Diabetes Research in Malaysia (2000–2018): A Systematic Scientometrics Study

The escalated burden of diabetes on the population’s health has catalyzed rigorous scientific research to produce appropriate evidence for treatment and control. Malaysia suffers from the leading diabetes epidemic within the Western Pacific region. It is crucial to map the scientific landscape of diabetes research for the country to identify trends in productivity and determine whether research efforts are directed toward the needs-gaps priority for evidence synthesis that could be used for the drafting of policies and guidelines. This systematic scientometrics study was conducted to map the scientific research output (trends and distribution, citation frequency, keywords link visualization, and thematic cluster conceptualization) related to diabetes between 2000–2018 in Malaysia. Using three international databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus) and one local database (MyCite), scientific publication records related to diabetes in Malaysia between 2000 and 2018 were retrieved and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Microsoft Excel 2016, EndNote X9.2, BibExcel 2016, GraphPad Prism 8.0.1, VOS viewer software 1.6.13, and R software version 1.3.959 were used to analyze the trend and contents of diabetes publications. A total of 2094 publication records that accounted for 35,497 citations were analyzed. Kuala Lumpur was the most scientifically productive state in Malaysia, contributing 754 papers. Medical Journal of Malaysia had the highest number of publications. The inflection point of the Malaysian diabetes research output was in 2013, with most publications being non-collaborative research works. Most publications originated from academia, especially from local public universities. The overall publication productivity of diabetes research in Malaysia was conceptualized into eleven thematic clusters, with clinical and animal studies being the most prevalent themes. The diabetes literature in Malaysia has grown steadily over the past 19 years. However, the cumulative evidence remains inadequate and is insufficiently powered to guide policymaking and the control of diabetes. It does not yet seem feasible to direct the diabetes epidemic curve to a plateau for the Malaysian population based on Malaysian diabetes publications.