Visualization of international environmental DNA research

Abstract

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is increasingly being used in research fields of archaeology, biology and environmental science. In this study, scientometric methods have been used to quantitatively assess the current global research status in the eDNA field based on SCI-EXPANDED and Social Sciences Citation Index databases during the period 1992-2016. CiteSpace software was used to visualize the eDNA knowledge domains. The most productive category and journal are microbiology and Applied and Environmental Microbiology respectively. USA is the leading country, Rockefeller University is the prominent institution and Brady, S. F. is the most productive author. Document co-citation analysis demonstrated that the most recent domain is focusing on using eDNA as a tool to detect species in aquatic environments. These findings may help researchers better understand the current progress as well as identify the latest frontiers in the field of eDNA.