Iran’s Trend in Scientific Ranking in Health Policy Research Based on the Scopus Citation Database: A 15-Year Scientometric Study

  The current study evaluated Iran’s ranking in health policy research compared with the world and with countries of West Asia and North Africa based on the Scopus database. The present review considered 2 criteria for ranking: (1) the number of indexed papers, and (2) citations to the papers in Scopus. Changes in Iran’s scientific ranking based on both indicators from 2002 to 2016 were compared with those of other countries. In general, Iran’s ranking in the world had a relatively mild growth based on both indicators. Iran achieved its most desirable rankings in the based on number of papers in the year 2014 with the ranking of 19 and in the year 2011 with the ranking of 25 based on the number of citations. Iran ranked much higher based on the number of papers in West Asia and North Africa, going from 5th place in 2002 and 10th place in 2003 to first place in the region in 2014. Based on number of citations, Iran ranked second in the region in the year 2016. In recent years, the status of research in the field of health policy in Iran has advanced. Efforts to index all Iranian health policy journals in the Scopus database and to increase scientific collaborations and financing can improve the position of Iran’s scientific ranking in terms of number of articles and citations in the field of health policy.