Immunoinformatics: A Basic Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Background: Traditionally, immunologists have been using experimental methods for a long time, which have generated functional, clinical and epidemiological data. So, it is inevitable to develop and apply novel computational approaches to collect, store, analyze, and report the latent knowledge behind these data. Immunoinformatics as a new-emerging field uses computational tools that cover multi dimensions of bioinformatics such as databases management and development definition of both structural and functional signatures and the modeling of predictive algorithms. Recently, with the dramatic growth in research documents publishing, the need for new methodologies to structure and visualize knowledge emerged.
Methods: Capability to analyze huge amounts of published items with a detailed level of granularity and report statistical, mathematical and visual knowledge within it, introduced an approach called bibliometrics analysis. According to the best of our knowledge, there isn’t any bibliometrics analysis based on immunoinformatics keyword. So, the aim of current study was to perform a brief and basic bibliometrics analysis on the immunoinformatics publications to report the most influencers on this field by statistical and mathematical methods to identify key authors, titles, keywords and other parameters that extracted from publication’s metadata.
Results: Results were summarized in statistical tables and diagrams. It was revealed that the immunoinformatics is a relatively novel field and the time trends showed that the strategic research plans can be directed to expand this field.
Conclusion: We can conclude that the future is the age of immunoinformatics for immunologists and related specialties.

Keywords: Immunoinformatics, Bibliometric, Knowledge body, Immunology, Informatics