Research Trends of Vaccination-Related Systematic Reviews, 2011–2023: A Bibliometric Analysis

Antonia Pilic (), Louise Henaff, Christoph A. Steffen, Hanna Helene Linß, Antonia Isabelle Dreyer, Madeleine Batke, Ole Wichmann, Vanessa Piechotta and Thomas Harder
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Antonia Pilic: Immunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Louise Henaff: World Health Organization (WHO), 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Christoph A. Steffen: World Health Organization (WHO), 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Hanna Helene Linß: Immunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Antonia Isabelle Dreyer: Immunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Madeleine Batke: Immunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Ole Wichmann: Immunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Vanessa Piechotta: Immunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Thomas Harder: Immunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany

Publications, 2025, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Systematic reviews (SRs) reflect the best available evidence for informing vaccination recommendations. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of vaccination-related SRs aiming to uncover research trends. Vaccination-related SRs published from 2011 to 2023 in MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library and the Living Overview of Evidence database were considered. Trends over time, disease/pathogen, topic, population, geographical location, accessibility, methodological quality, and overlap were descriptively analyzed using R. A total of 2275 SRs were identified, most of which were freely accessible (n = 2083, 91.7%). The annual number of published SRs increased more than twelvefold from 2011 to 2023. COVID-19 (n = 861, 37.8%), influenza (n = 328, 14.4%), Human papillomavirus (n = 248, 10.9%), and pneumococcal disease (n = 152, 6.7%) were the most frequently addressed diseases/pathogens. Efficacy/effectiveness (n = 1066, 46.9%) and safety of vaccines (n = 812, 35.7%) were the most common topics. The methodological quality of SRs on intervention topics (n = 1376) was mostly critically low (n = 1155, 84.0%). Several SRs were identified that covered similar diseases/pathogens, topics and populations, indicating duplication and overlap, particularly for COVID-19. Our analysis showed a large increase in the number of published vaccination-related SRs. The results provide a basis for understanding the current state and priorities in vaccination research and decrease the overlap potential in newly developed SRs.

Keywords: vaccination; immunization; systematic review; bibliometric (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A2 D83 L82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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