Bibliometric and scientometric analyses have become indispensable for mapping scientific landscapes, assessing productivity, identifying research gaps, and informing policy and funding strategies. Their relevance extends far beyond information and library sciences, contributing meaningfully to fields such as environmental science, medicine, and climate research, where bibliometric evidence increasingly informs decision-making. By providing this form of “knowledge scaffolding,” bibliometrics not only diagnoses strengths and weaknesses within research systems but also offers a strategic lens on collaboration, impact, and equity.The surge in bibliometric publications is driven by expanding access to databases, the proliferation of user-friendly software platforms, and the integration of artificial intelligence, including large language models, into research workflows. While this has democratised practice, it has also produced wide variation in reporting quality, with many studies privileging data-led outputs over methodological justification.The existing guidelines focus on a comprehensive description of methodology in text but do not provide guidance on presenting a workflow of a bibliometric study, as the PRISMA flow chart does for systematic reviews. The flow charts currently proposed are broad outlines that rely heavily on authors’ creativity, leading to inconsistent reporting. Additionally, PRISMA cannot be used without adaptation, since the workflow of a bibliometric study differs from that of a systematic review.Against this backdrop, a structured and comprehensive reporting guideline is urgently needed. A PRISMA-like framework tailored to bibliometric workflows would enforce methodological rigour, ensure transparent reporting of databases, tools, and analytical steps, and foster interdisciplinary consistency.The proposed guideline “COMET-Bib (Comprehensive Methodological Transparency for Bibliometric Studies)” will address this need. Its scope spans the entire research process: defining research questions, selecting and documenting data sources (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science), applying diverse methodologies (e.g., citation analysis, co-authorship mapping), integrating AI-driven tools for data processing, and presenting results with clarity and reproducibility. COMET-Bib will be designed to accommodate theoretical innovations, applied analyses, and science policy evaluations alike, ensuring relevance across both ILS and non-ILS domains. By promoting transparency, reproducibility, and comparability, COMET-Bib will strengthen bibliometrics as a diagnostic and strategic tool, prevent superficial accumulation of descriptive results, and secure its role as a foundation for advancing knowledge and informing policy.
Registered: 22 January 2026
Last updated:
Contact: Namrata Dagli and Jestina Rachel Kurian Email: [email protected]; [email protected]