Analysis of fern research article trends across the Web of Science in the 21st century

Abstract

Ferns are a group of plants with a long history, and thus they provide important experimental materials in scientific studies. This study analyzes all papers that describe “fern”, “lycophyte”, “pterido-phyte” and “pteridophyta” in the Web of Science database published from January 1st, 2000 to December 31st, 2018. Our four main results were: (1) After 2000, the number of scientific papers about ferns increased rapidly, with a significant increase after 2006. Today, the number of studies annually exceeds 600. (2) Since 2010, interdisciplinary fern research has become more common, in contrast to the fern-specific studies that were more common before 2010. (3) China has become a major leader in the number of fern and lycophyte publications. (4) Finally, there still needs some efforts for Chinese researchers in the following time. With the four above conclusions, our research review highlights new opportunities and directions for research related to ferns and serves as a guide fern researchers in China.