A decade of global orthopaedic research in SICOT-J (2015–2025): a scientometric analysis of publication trends, collaboration, and citation impact

BACKGROUND: The SICOT-J, an open-access orthopedic journal affiliated with the Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie (SICOT), has been a global orthopedic research platform since 2015. This study provides a scientometric analysis of SICOT-J publications from 2015 to 2025 to evaluate research productivity, citation impact, and collaboration patterns. METHODS: 542 documents published in SICOT-J and indexed in the Scopus database were analyzed using bibliometric indicators. Data on publication types, subject areas, authorship, institutional and geographic affiliations, funding disclosures, collaboration networks, and citation metrics were extracted. Microsoft Excel was used for data processing and analysis. Key indicators included citations per publication (CPP), relative citation index (RCI), and total link strength (TLS) for collaborative connections. RESULTS: From January 1 2015, to June 30 2025, SICOT-J published 542 articles with an overall CPP of 10.29. Research articles comprised 78.6% of publications, while reviews - though fewer in number - had the highest CPP (23.38). The most frequent topics were arthroplasty (25.83%) and trauma/fractures (24.17%), with the hip and knee as the most studied anatomical regions. Only 5.17% of the articles reported external funding. Fifteen highly cited papers (≥50 citations) were mostly reviews and internationally co-authored. CONCLUSIONS: SICOT-J has demonstrated consistent publication growth and international participation, though with notable concentration in a few high-income countries. The high citation impact of reviews and collaborative works highlights the importance of strategic content development. Enhancing funding transparency, supporting underrepresented regions, and promoting emerging topics strengthen the journal's global impact.