How much open is cancer research? Evaluating The Openness of Scholarly Publications in SAARC Countries: A Data Carpentry Approach

Abstract

This study presents a bibliometric and metadata analysis of research publications in cancer research from SAARC countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) over the period 2015 to 2024, with a particular focus on open access trends, collaboration networks, and thematic distributions. Data comprising 19,567 articles was retrieved from the Scopus database using affiliation-based filters and refined using OpenRefine to standardize open access status, licensing types, and publication attributes. VOSviewer was used to map co-authorship networks and examined keyword co-occurrence across countries, illustrating significant intra-regional collaboration patterns, with India emerging as the principal hub. The analysis also revealed common thematic areas of research emphasis, including public health, and digital innovation. The results highlight a growing but uneven adoption of open access practices across SAARC nations in cancer research, with disparities in licensing and accessibility. The study underscores the potential of bibliometric tools to uncover regional research dynamics and suggests pathways for enhancing scholarly visibility and cooperation within SAARC countries.