Scientometrics

Scientometrics is the field of measuring and analyzing science, focusing on the quantitative assessment of scientific outputs of researchers, universities, and countries. Scientometric indicators include measures of both the quantity and quality of research outputs, which can serve as a basis for evaluating, ranking, and promoting faculty members. Scientometrics is a valuable tool for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of research areas, helping managers and policymakers in planning and directing scientific, human, and material resources.

The Iranian Scientometric Information Database (ISID) was established in 2015 (1394 in the Iranian calendar) to extract and display up-to-date scientometric indicators for faculty members of Iranian medical universities. It was designed, implemented, and maintained by the Center for Scientific Information Development and Coordination, under the Vice-Chancellery for Research and Technology of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

The ISID system contains general information about faculty members of Iranian medical universities, including name, university, faculty, research center, academic rank, field, and highest degree obtained, entered by scientometrics experts in the universities’ Research and Technology Vice-Chancelleries.

The scientometric indicators available in ISID include:

  • Number of published articles

  • Total number of citations received

  • Average citations per article

  • h-Index

  • h-Index excluding self-citations

  • including book citations

  • h-Index exh-Index excluding self-citations of authors

  • And other relevant metrics

These indicators provide a comprehensive view of the research performance of faculty members and support evidence-based decision-making in academic and research management.

Objectives

  • Measure and publish scientometric indicators of researchers, research centers, and medical universities in Iran

  • Identify and highlight top articles and leading researchers in the field of medical sciences in the country

  • Monitor national and international ranking systems and announce and disseminate their results

  • Manage electronic scientometric systems

  • Coordinate and collaborate with the scientometrics departments of Iranian medical universities

  • Develop evaluation and ranking indicators for scientometrics offices and conduct their annual assessments

  • Organize and coordinate meetings, conferences, and training workshops related to scientometrics

  • Conduct scientometric studies to design interventions aimed at improving the quantity and quality of the country’s research outputs 

Main Objective

The primary objective of establishing this unit at the university is to provide accurate and clear information on the scientific outputs of faculty members, supporting university planners and policymakers in research and academic decision-making.

The Iranian Scientometrics Information Database (ISID) was launched in 2015 (1394 in the Iranian calendar) to extract and display up-to-date scientometric indicators for faculty members of Iranian medical universities. It was designed, implemented, and maintained by the Center for Scientific Information Development and Coordination, under the Vice-Chancellery for Research and Technology of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

The ISID system contains general information about faculty members of Iranian medical universities, including name, university, faculty, research center, academic rank, field, and highest degree obtained, entered by scientometrics experts in the universities’ Research and Technology offices.

Scientometric indicators available in ISID include:

  • Number of published articles

  • Total citations received

  • Average citations per article

  • h-Index

  • h-Index excluding self-citations

  • h-Index excluding authors’ self-citations

  • h-Index excluding book citations

These metrics provide a comprehensive overview of faculty research performance and support evidence-based management and strategic planning in academic and research activities.

Data Collection and Presentation Method

In the ISID system, results are displayed by default based on the h-index of individuals. Users can change this order by clicking the arrow next to each column header on the main page.

The system allows filtering of information by university, research center, field of study, and academic degree, as well as searching for individuals by first and last name.

The h-Index, introduced in 2005 by Dr. Jorge Hirsch, a physics professor, is a key scientometric indicator that reflects both the quantity and quality of a researcher’s scientific output. An h-index of h means that a researcher has h papers, each cited at least h times.

In ISID, scientometric indicators are calculated using the most recent data extracted from the Scopus database. Additional information for each faculty member—such as photo, personal Google Scholar page, and CV (if provided by the university’s scientometrics expert)—can be accessed by clicking on the faculty member’s name.