# Titanium Additive Manufacturing with Powder Bed Fusion: A Bibliometric Perspective
## 2 Materials and Methods  
The bibliometric methodology employed in this study comprises five distinct phases (Figure 2). Phase I, Literature Selection: this initial stage involves the careful identification and selection of relevant scholarly works, ensuring a comprehensive and representative sample for analysis; Phase II, Data Collection and Organization: during this phase, bibliometric data are systematically gathered from the selected literature and meticulously organized into a structured database for further analysis; Phase III, Comprehensive Data Analysis: this crucial stage entails a thorough examination of the collected bibliometric data, employing various statistical and analytical techniques to uncover patterns, trends, and relationships within the literature; Phase IV: Data Visualization: the analyzed data are transformed into visual representations, such as graphs, charts, and network maps, to facilitate a clearer understanding and interpretation of the findings; Phase V, Synthesis and Conclusion: the final phase involves synthesizing the insights gained from the analysis and visualization stages, leading to the formulation of well-supported conclusions and implications for the field of study. In Phase I (Figure 2), we selected studies from Scopus and Web of Science databases to ensure comprehensive coverage of scientific publications, focusing on peer-reviewed sources of high quality and relevance. These databases provide robust indexing and a wide disciplinary reach, essential for conducting reliable and replicable bibliometric analyses. This choice enabled access to a diverse array of peer-reviewed sources--including journals, conference proceedings, and books--thereby enriching the breadth and depth of our literature review. The data collection process was conducted in September 2024. To guarantee an exhaustive and targeted search, multiple keywords were combined using Boolean operators (Figure 3). This approach ensured the identification of the most relevant articles on the topic. In order to select and organize the results found on research related to titanium AM using powder bed fusion technology and to enable its subsequent analysis (Phase II, Figure 2), the PRISMA 2020 protocol was used [39]. The PRISMA 2020 protocol is a fundamental tool for bibliometric analysis, as it provides a structured and transparent guide for the elaboration of reviews [40; 41; 42]. Here, an initial broad search included journal articles, conference proceedings, and books to ensure comprehensive coverage. However, subsequent filtering focused on peer-reviewed journal articles, as these provide the higher consistency and rigor essential for robust bibliometric analysis. In the context of bibliometric analysis, the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram provides a clear and structured visualization of the study selection process, improving the transparency and reproducibility of bibliometric reviews [43; 44; 45]. This diagram consists of several key phases (Figure 4): (i) Identification: A total of 2675 records were identified in the two databases, of which 382 were duplicates; (ii) Screening: After the initial review of the identified records, 4 were excluded for being outside the scope of this research; (iii) Eligibility: A total of  
Figure 3: Bibliometric database search string. 2289 results reached this phase, of which 516 were excluded for not being articles, and 451 were excluded for being articles in languages other than English; (iv) Inclusion Phase: A total of 1322 articles was the final number included in this bibliometric research. Following the development of the PRISMA 2020 protocol, the subsequent bibliometric analysis (Phase III, Figure 2) was conducted using the specialized software, the Bibliometrix R-4.4.2-package. Bibliometrix offers a wide range of analytical tools, from basic descriptive statistics to advanced techniques such as co-citation networks and factorial analysis.