A bibliometric analysis of research on perception towards covid-19 vaccines
Date
2021-12-31
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Abstract
Since the onset COVID-19 spread in 2019, there has been a drastic rise in the volume of publications on COVID-19. As such, there is a need for an overarching understanding of the knowledge-base in this domain. Hence, the current study aims to present an overview of the knowledge-base on COVID-19, scoping it down to perception on vaccines, by employing bibliometric and science mapping analysis. We used the search terms ("covid-19" and ("vaccine"" or "vaccination") and ("perception" or "attitude" or "beliefs" or "perspectives" or "hesitance")) on the SCOPUS database. After refinement, the final dataset contained 1276 entries. The data were analysed using Microsoft excel to demonstrate the geographical trajectory of publications. VOSViewer was engaged in generating bibliometric networks for collaboration, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence. The results indicated that there is a worldwide contribution towards scholarly work on the topic. The co-citation analysis revealed that the literature on the topic can be mapped onto six clusters, the most significant of which reflects publication on efficacy and confidence in the vaccines, and challenges in building immunity against the virus. The keyword analysis demonstrated three major conceptual themes: medical/biological, health care provision, and social aspects, the last of which has attracted researchers in recent studies. Future researchers interested in exploring about perception towards COVD-19 vaccine may delve into the three specific themes of keywords, particularly on the social aspects.