Iran's Scientific Prominences in Social Sciences Compared to Some Islamic Countries

Purpose :

The significance of scientific and technological advancements in today's world is such that the development of many countries is largely measured through them. Humanities and social sciences hold a special position in this regard. This study aims to investigate the overall situation of Iran in various sub-areas of social sciences from 2013 to 2022. It explores the areas that have achieved remarkable scientific prominence within each sub-area, as well as Iran's ranking compared to other countries within those fields.

This research adopts an applied approach with an analytical-descriptive method. It utilizes a scientometric approach and the scientific prominence index. The research encompasses Muslim countries such as Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Egypt. The study focuses on their scientific outputs in diverse disciplines within the realm of social sciences. Data is collected using Scival database and the classification of research and development fields (FORD).

During the studied period, a total of 50,954 scientific outputs from Iran within the field of social sciences were indexed in the Scopus database. The subfields of "Economics and Business," "Other Social Sciences," "Psychology and Cognitive Sciences," "Political Sciences," "Law," "Education," "Economic and Social Geography," "Sociology," and "Media and Communication" showcased the highest volume of scientific output, respectively. Iran displayed relative advantages in subjects such as supply chains, supply chain management, industry, sports, students, heroes, water resources, water management, media, news, journalism, attention, brain, learning, internet, students, as well as "housing, neighborhood, gentrification." However, the findings indicated limited scientific output in the media subfield. Additionally, sociology made a modest contribution, while the country as a whole did not fare well in terms of prominent subject areas.

The findings of this study present two distinct approaches or steps to the policymakers, managers, and planners in the field of science and technology, particularly within social sciences. Firstly, they should capitalize on Iran's competitive advantages and strengthen them further. Secondly, efforts should be made to invest in areas that exhibit limited quantitative and qualitative contributions, bringing them to a relative level of maturity. These approaches can be implemented at both the micro and macro levels of the country's science and technology ecosystem.Value: The utilization of strategic reference bases, such as SciVal, offers the opportunity to analyze various fields from a broad perspective that aligns with policy development and aids in identifying competitive advantages.