Research Performance in Reproductive Biomedicine: A National Scientometrics Study

Recent achievements in reproductive biomedicine have led to a revolution in infertility treatment. A comprehensive understandingof the current status of reproductive medicine is necessary for the development of a forward-looking plan byhealth policymakers, based on fundamental requirements. This study is a systematic review of the Scopus database toassess reproductive biomedicine publications within Iran and compared to the rest of the world from 1990 to 2020. Thedata were categorized by geographical distribution across five continents. National data were assessed in comparisonwith the world and with neighboring countries. Finally, prominent national research institutes in the field of reproductivebiomedicine in Iran were identified, and their contributions to the field highlighted. Of the five continents, the highestnumber of publications and citations is from Europe (36% publications and 41.5% citations). Corresponding numbers forthe other continents are 32 and 33% for America, and 26 and 18.4% for Asia respectively. The remaining publications andcitations were from Australia (3.8 and 4.1%) and Africa (2.6 and 3.1%). In a national analysis, the highest-ranking institutesin reproductive biomedicine are in Tehran province (50.9% of all Iranian publications), Shiraz (8.8%), Yazd (7.8%),Isfahan (7.1%), and Tabriz (6.9%). More specifically, Tehran University of Medical Science (15.9%), the Royan Institute(12.2%), Shahid Beheshti Medical University (10.1%), Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences (6.9%), andTarbiat Modares University (6.7%) account for more than 50% of all Iranian scientific publications. In recent decades,reproductive biomedical research has grown significantly in Iran. Reviewing publications in this field helps health policydecision makers to monitor the direction of research and adjust investment in the treatment of infertility. In addition, it isnecessary to expand and organize inter-organizational and international collaborations to improve the research, gain thebenefits of different experiences, and engage in international multicenter studies.