Mapping Research on Doping and Substance Abuse in Sports: A Bibliometric Study from a Pharmacological and Medical Perspective

After the analysis of 246 peer-reviewed publications, which are indexed in the Web of Science, the given research paper carries out equipped bibliometric analysis of doping-related sports research. This research paper has succeeded in charting the intellectual organization of the concept of doping literature, key research topics, and pointing out new fields and areas of research gaps with the help of co-occurrence, overlay, and density visualizations performed by the VOS viewer software. Based on the findings, most of the research areas still surround drugs such as growth hormones, testosterone, anabolic steroids and EPO and the way in which they impact on athletic performances and how they can be detected. Although more modern procedures such as capillary electrophoresis are under exploration it has been determined that more traditional techniques such as mass spectrometry and urine testing are still used in their detection. Moreover, the attention to the social and psychological considerations of doping behavior is also based on the rising involvement of the keywords referring to students, adolescents, education, and public health. Importantly, the research determines the information gap in the sphere and particularly in such aspects as legal regulation, the role of chemists, and the early prevention strategies involving amateur sports and schools. Such differences indicate that more cross-disciplinary studies with experts in the fields of public health, medicine, education, psychology, sports, and law should be conducted. In conclusion, it is of vital interest in academic circles as well as in the society at large to discuss the influence of doping in sports. The following bibliometric analysis not only identifies possible directions of further research, but also indicates the relevance of established themes once again. By understanding the existing picture and recognizing the poorly studied area, scholars and policymakers may aim at establishing more preventive, ethical, and effective patterns of doping regulation. This will eventually protect the health of athletes of all calibers and integrity of any sport.