Hüseyin Baylan; Abdullah Uçar & Göksin Nilüfer Demirci

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of postgraduate anatomy theses published in Turkey between 1969 and 2023. 670 theses obtained through the Council of Higher Education National Thesis Centre were included in the analysis. In the first stage, two anatomists developed thematic categories and subcategories from the summaries of theses using qualitative methods. Then each thesis was recoded based on types of anatomy, materials, methods, systems, regions, and associated disciplines categories. Our results revealed that the most frequently studied anatomical regions were the head (16.42 %) and brain (16.63 %). Gross anatomy emerged as the dominant subfield (34.31 %), followed by clinical anatomy (27.62 %) and experimental anatomy (17.15 %). Neurology, neurosurgery, and orthopaedics were the most commonly associated disciplines with anatomy theses. Radiological images, human cadavers or patients, animal models, and pharmaceutical or herbal substances were the most frequently used materials. Commonly used methods included morphometric analysis, radiological imaging, and histopathological examination. The most studied body systems were the central nervous, locomotor, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems. Notably, only 14 % of theses focused on anatomical variations. Microscopic anatomy, animal anatomy, comparative anatomy, and anatomy education emerged as the least frequently investigated subfields. The sensory organs, endocrine system, lymphatic system, and integumentary system were the least addressed in postgraduate theses. Questionnaires and human intervention-based studies were found to be the least utilised methods. Human fetuses, dry bones, and cell cultures were among the least commonly employed research materials. These findings provide critical insights for anatomy educators, postgraduate students, and clinical researchers by highlighting research patterns changing in time and methodological trends over five decades in order to inform future academic planning and contribute to the strategic development of anatomical research.

KEY WORDS: Anatomy; Bibliometric analysis; These.

BAYLAN, H.; UÇAR, A. & DEMIRCI, G. N. A Bibliometric perspective on the evolution of anatomy theses: Reflections of changing scientific paradigms. Int. J. Morphol., 44(2):588-598, 2026.