Australian Podiatry Research in Gerontology: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Background: To conduct a bibliographic analysis of English language research pertaining to gerontology by Australian researchers.

Methods: A Scopus database search was conducted to identify all Australian gerontology articles published by podiatric authors in English from 1970 to 2024. Bibliometric analysis was performed using an open‐source tool based on the R language. Citations,journals, authors, institutions, and countries were described. Publications were manually categorised according to research type,level of evidence and funding source.

Results: The search strategy yielded 81 eligible articles, which received a total of 5024 citations and were published by 174authors in 39 journals. The most frequent journal was Gait and Posture (12 articles; 15%), and the most published institution was La Trobe University (affiliation of 102 authors). Most of the Australian gerontology articles published by podiatrists focussed on aetiology (n = 48; 59%) and only six articles (7%) provided level I evidence. Thirty articles (37%) reported no research funding.

Conclusion: Gerontology remains an underrepresented focus within Australian podiatry research. Despite attracting relatively high citation rates, this field suffers from chronic underfunding and limited research capacity. Investing in dedicated funding and expanding the gerontology research workforce within podiatry is essential to drive innovation, address the growing needs of an ageing population, and strengthen the evidence base for clinical care.