Are we researching the right questions? Bibliometric analysis of undergraduate nursing thesis alignment with Peru's health priorities

Abstract

Background: In resource-constrained settings, university research is increasingly expected to demonstrate alignment with national health agendas. In Peru, undergraduate thesis completion is mandatory for professional nursing licensure, generating substantial research output; however, the thematic orientation of this production has not been systematically examined. Objective: To evaluate the thematic alignment of Peruvian undergraduate nursing theses with Sustainable Development Goals and National Health Research Priorities through comprehensive bibliometric analysis. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 6,157 undergraduate nursing theses produced between 2020 and 2025 across 38 SUNEDU-licensed universities, retrieved from RENATI, ALICIA, and institutional repositories. Descriptive, temporal, and thematic analyses were performed using the Bibliometrix package (R). Keyword co-occurrence networks were generated using VOSviewer. Thematic Alignment Indices (TAI) were calculated to quantify alignment with the 17 SDGs and 53 National Health Research Priorities. Results: Thematic distribution showed a strong concentration in SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being, 83.06%), while alignment with National Health Research Priorities was more evenly distributed, with the five most frequent priorities accounting for 49.63% of theses. Research predominantly addressed health habits and lifestyles (14.65%), maternal–child malnutrition and anemia (11.66%), mental health (8.45%), and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (8.38%). Quantitative methodologies predominated, with limited intervention research. Keyword analysis identified four thematic clusters with minimal integration across domains. Conclusions: This study provides a descriptive overview of undergraduate nursing research trends in Peru, highlighting thematic concentration in health- related domains and variability in methodological reporting. The findings reflect nursing's disciplinary focus and curricular context, while offering a replicable bibliometric approach for examining undergraduate research orientation in settings with mandatory thesis requirements and limited research investment.