Characteristics and Trends of the Most Cited Publications in The Journal of Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: This study aims to identify the most frequently cited articles published in the Journal of Arthroplasty (JOA) and to analyze the trends in the content and contributors of the literature within the journal. METHODS: The 100 most cited articles published in the JOA were accessed using the Scopus database. The number of citations, year of publication, level of evidence (LOE), article type, country of origin, and contributing institution were each recorded for each article. RESULTS: The United States (63%) was the most prolific publishing nation. The 1990s (30%) and 2000s (47%) were the most productive decades. The most common article category was clinical outcomes (33%), followed by technical note (16%) and biomechanics (14%). The plurality of the top 100 articles were well-designed case-control or cohort studies of LOE II (46%) followed by LOE V (32%) and LOE I (11%). CONCLUSIONS: Using citation analysis, the most influential articles in the JOA were comprehensively and objectively analyzed. The most popular fields of research involved clinical outcomes (33%) and technical note (16%), both of which increase an article’s likelihood of being highly cited. Knowledge of the most influential articles in the JOA allows for appreciation of current and potential future areas of literature regarding diagnosis, management, and outcome of a patient undergoing arthroplasty.