Dataset: Scientometric Analysis of Molecular Techniques in Partial Nitritation/Anammox Reactors

This dataset supports a scientometric study that maps how researchers have used molecular techniques to profile microbial communities in partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) deammonification reactors from 2001 to 2025. The study tests the hypothesis that the spread and refinement of molecular tools (PCR, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, qPCR, FISH, metagenomics) have significantly shaped both our understanding of PN/A microbiomes and the operational development of these reactors. The dataset includes 207 primary articles that the authors retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using a Boolean Topic search that combines PN/A‑related terms (“partial nitritation/anammox”, “deammonification”, “ammonium removal”, “PN/A”) with molecular‑method and reactor descriptors. The authors screened records using the PRISMA 2020 framework, excluded review papers and non‑PN/A studies, resolved ambiguous cases through full‑text review, and exported metadata (authors, affiliations, journals, countries, references, citations, keywords) in plain‑text format for processing. They then used RStudio (Bibliometrix package) and Excel to calculate productivity, citation impact, collaboration networks, keyword co‑occurrence, and journal dispersion with Bradford’s Law, while manually classifying the molecular techniques in each article into 12 categories specifically linked to PN/A microbiome characterization. The data reveal sustained growth of PN/A molecular‑microbiology publications (12.25% per year), a strong concentration of output and citations in a small core of environmental engineering journals (especially Bioresource Technology, Chemical Engineering Journal, Science of the Total Environment, Water Research), and highly collaborative authorship with broad international co‑authorship. Thematic indicators show a core around “anammox”, “nitrogen removal” and “partial nitritation‑anammox”, with a shift from exploratory studies to reactor optimization after 2015. PCR and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing dominate as standard methods (157 occurrences), shotgun metagenomics is emerging as a strategy (19 occurrences), and China serves as the main hub for publications and funding in this field. Researchers can use this dataset to replicate and extend the scientometric analyses (for example, by re‑running R/Bibliometrix scripts, redefining technique classes, or exploring new co‑authorship and keyword networks) and to support methodological or strategic decisions about where, how, and with which molecular tools the community investigates PN/A microbiomes worldwide.