Four Decades of Progress: Evaluating Saudi Arabia’s Research Publications in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the quantity and quality of pharmaceutical science publications originating from Saudi Arabia and compare research publications retrieved from Scopus over the past 40 years (1980-2019). Methods: Data was collected from Scopus, with each publication assigned a unique identifier. Information such as the journal’s name, year of publication, and publication type were recorded. The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) for the year 2018, obtained from ISI Web of Science, was used for all publications. The mean impact factor (MIF) for each year was calculated by dividing the cumulative IF by the total number of publications in that year. All data was entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using numbers, means, and percentages. Results: A total of 12 299 papers were published from Saudi Arabia in the field of pharmaceutical sciences. A modest growth trend in publication was observed from 1980 to 2008. However, starting in 2009, there was a notable increase in annual publication counts, reaching 1400 by 2016, and maintaining a range of 1200 to 1400 annually until 2019. A highly statistically significant upward trajectory in the JIF was observed from 1980 to 2018, with annual variations. The SCImago Journal Rank also exhibited a similar pattern of increased research growth. Conclusion: This study indicates a consistent growth in both the quantity of publications and the presence in quality journals indexed with Scopus published in the field of pharmaceutical sciences from Saudi Arabia.