The 2025 Arab Scientific Journals Impact and Citation Report (ARCIF), marking its tenth anniversary, underscores Qatar’s significant strides in engineering and technology within the Arab world. The report, a comprehensive analysis of scientific production across the region, demonstrates steady growth despite regional challenges. It is based on data from over 5,500 scientific journals issued by more than 1,500 institutions across 20 Arab nations, excluding Djibouti and the Comoros.
Dr Sami al-Khazendar, Head of the ARCIF initiative under the Ma’arefa Database in Amman, Jordan, highlighted the substantial progress made over the past decade. The report’s findings show a dramatic rise in both the volume and impact of Arab scientific research. Of the 5,500 journals examined, 1,272 met 32 internationally recognised standards, illustrating a robust growth in quality and output. The data analysed spans 364,000 Arab authors, covering over 956,000 papers, with contributions from 111,000 cited authors.
A comparison with the 2016 report reveals striking increases in key metrics: the number of journals grew by 367%, the number of articles by 870%, and the number of cited Arab authors by 6,800%. Dr al-Khazendar pointed out that these advances have elevated Arab scientific production from relative obscurity to global recognition, with the ARCIF impact factor now serving as a trusted reference for assessing the influence of Arab journals according to international standards.
Qatar stands out in the engineering and technology sectors, where it ranks first in the region, further cementing its growing reputation as a hub for scientific innovation. Egypt leads in the fields of economics, social sciences, education, law, and media, while Saudi Arabia is recognised for its dominance in Arabic language and literature. Palestine made a notable achievement in the Immediacy Index, with the Palestinian Journal of Open Education and e-Learning ranking first.
In the broader index of cited authors, Algeria ranks highest with 26,834 cited researchers, followed by Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. The rise in the number of cited authors across the region highlights the increasing global impact of Arab scholarship.
This year’s report not only demonstrates the progress of individual countries but also reflects the growing regional awareness of the importance of publishing in Arabic. This shift supports the building of knowledge and fosters greater innovation within the Arab world. The digital version of the 2025 ARCIF report will be available on the Ma’arefa Database website before the end of the year, offering valuable insights for researchers and policymakers navigating the evolving landscape of Arab scientific publishing.
For more on Qatar’s role in regional stability and technological advances, see the GCC Secretary General’s remarks on Gulf states.
