Bibliometric analysis for the literature of traditional Chinese medicine in PubMed

The aim of this study is to conduct a retrospective bibliometric analysis of articles about traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research in PubMed and to learn about the development and perspective of TCM. A systematic bibliometric search was performed based on the PubMed database covering related publications between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2014. Numbers and type of articles, countries and language of publications, as well as major journals were analyzed in accordance with bibliometrics methodologies. The retrieve results were analyzed and described in the form of texts, tables, and graphs. A total of 42,192 articles were identified from the PubMed database, among which 43.56 % were published as original articles. The articles were originated from 102 countries and territories. China was ranked first with 20,121 articles, followed by United States with 2207 articles. 57.74 % of the articles are published in English. 4364 articles were published by Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. And complementary medicine was the most focused research are involving 30,544 articles. The publication activity of TCM literature increased rapidly in the past 20 years, indicating enhanced attention attracted to TCM and more research input. In view of its great advances achieved in scientific studies, TCM will continue to play an important role in medical research.