Volume 16, Issue 3 (May & June 2026)
J Research Health 2026, 16(3): 231-242 |
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Ethics code: IR-PNU.REC. (1404.068).
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Rahimi S, Nushi M, Soheili F. The Role of Health Literacy in Literacy Studies: Mapping the Intellectual Structure Through Author Co-citation Analysis. J Research Health 2026; 16 (3) :231-242
URL: http://jrh.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-2838-en.html
URL: http://jrh.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-2838-en.html
1- Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. , s.rahimi@razi.ac.ir
2- Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
3- Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
3- Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract: (100 Views)
Background: This research aimed to determine the impact of health literacy on literacy studies by analyzing the field’s intellectual structure between 1916 and 2023.
Methods: Bibliometric techniques and co-citation analysis were used to examine citation relationships among 42,404 documents retrieved from the Web of Science database. The research data were processed using VOSviewer, UCINET, BibExcel, and SPSS. The search was conducted on January 15, 2024, and an author co-citation matrix was used to map the intellectual structure of literacy research. Cluster analysis and the strategic diagram method were employed for data analysis.
Results: The works with the highest citation impact in this field were by Sorensen (2012), Berkman, (2011), and Nutbeam, (2000), which were cited 1179, 944, and 896 times, respectively. Six clusters were identified in the cocitation analysis, including ‘principals and theories related to cognitive and literacy’, ‘health literacy’, ‘instruments for measuring literacy skills and functional health literacy’, ‘early literacy’, ‘financial literacy’, and ‘mental health literacy’. Cluster 1 represents the largest cluster of this study. Additionally, analysis of citations of research published over the past 106 years, emerging topics in the field of literacy were identified.
Conclusion: Health literacy has significantly shaped the field of literacy studies, comprising 50% of the identified research clusters. This dominance shows that half of the thematic literacy clusters belong to health, highlighting their impact. Accordingly, health policymakers should align research priorities with the emerging themes identified in this study.
Methods: Bibliometric techniques and co-citation analysis were used to examine citation relationships among 42,404 documents retrieved from the Web of Science database. The research data were processed using VOSviewer, UCINET, BibExcel, and SPSS. The search was conducted on January 15, 2024, and an author co-citation matrix was used to map the intellectual structure of literacy research. Cluster analysis and the strategic diagram method were employed for data analysis.
Results: The works with the highest citation impact in this field were by Sorensen (2012), Berkman, (2011), and Nutbeam, (2000), which were cited 1179, 944, and 896 times, respectively. Six clusters were identified in the cocitation analysis, including ‘principals and theories related to cognitive and literacy’, ‘health literacy’, ‘instruments for measuring literacy skills and functional health literacy’, ‘early literacy’, ‘financial literacy’, and ‘mental health literacy’. Cluster 1 represents the largest cluster of this study. Additionally, analysis of citations of research published over the past 106 years, emerging topics in the field of literacy were identified.
Conclusion: Health literacy has significantly shaped the field of literacy studies, comprising 50% of the identified research clusters. This dominance shows that half of the thematic literacy clusters belong to health, highlighting their impact. Accordingly, health policymakers should align research priorities with the emerging themes identified in this study.
Keywords: Information literacy, Health literacy, Bibliometrics, Knowledge discovery, Co-citation analysis
Type of Study: Orginal Article |
Subject:
● Health Education
Received: 2025/07/7 | Accepted: 2025/08/26 | Published: 2026/03/14
Received: 2025/07/7 | Accepted: 2025/08/26 | Published: 2026/03/14
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