Background and aims Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine (OSM) research plays a central role in advancing musculoskeletal healthcare. Although previous bibliometric studies have evaluated regional and continental trends, a detailed and standardised assessment of Italy's long-term contribution remains limited. This study aimed to comprehensively analyse Italy's OSM research output, impact, and publishing landscape from 1996 to 2024 using harmonised SCImago indicators. Methods A descriptive bibliometric analysis was conducted using data retrieved from the SCImago Journal & Country Rank database, derived from Scopus-indexed sources. Publications classified under the “Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine” category (code 2732) and affiliated with Italy were identified. Annual and cumulative document counts, total citations, self-citations, H-index, and citations per publication (CPP) were extracted. Multinational publications were assigned to Italy based on author affiliation. All data were independently collected and cross-validated by two reviewers. Citation indicators were recalculated to ensure internal consistency. Results Italy's annual OSM output increased from 356 publications in 1996 to 1711 in 2024, corresponding to a 4.8-fold growth and a cumulative total of 22,129 documents. In 2024, Italy ranked ninth globally and fourth in Western Europe, accounting for 9.55% of worldwide output. Impact indicators were substantial, with an H-index of 211, 1845 citations in 2024, and a cumulative CPP exceeding 22, based on more than 504,000 citations. Eleven Italian journals covered all SJR quartiles, led by the Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (Q1, H-index 57). Conclusions Italy demonstrates sustained growth and high international visibility in OSM research. The application of transparent and standardised bibliometric methods strengthens the reliability of these findings and supports their relevance for research policy and strategic planning in European musculoskeletal science.
Vaishya et al. (Thu,) studied this question.