Bibliometric Analysis and Predictors of Citations for Publications of a Higher Institution

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to depict the productivity and impact of publications affiliated with Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), and to identify bibliometric factors associated with the number of citations. Methods: Using keywords and identification numbers, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for all publications affiliated with JUST from 1987-2022. The retrieved data was imported, cleaned, visualized, and analyzed using stataIC 16, Excel 395 software, and VOSviewer software. The bibliometric analyses were conducted for types of publications, year of publications, type of journals, faculties, departments, faculty members, and most cited publications. Networking analyses were also conducted for international collaboration and keyword analysis using VOSviewer. Univariable and multivariable Poisson regression models were conducted to estimate the impact of several bibliometric factors on citation numbers. Results: A total of 16,830 publications were affiliated with JUST and published between 1986 and 2022. The total number of citations was 330,046. The average citation per publication was 19.6 and the institutional h-index was 165. Most publications were original articles (81.8%) and 71.7% were published in traditional (non-open) journals. Publication and citation numbers increased steadily, until 2013, and then exponentially, afterward. ? The Faculty of Engineering had the highest number of total publications (4,593), while the Faculty of Medicine had the highest number of total citations (148,384). Professor Yousef S. Khader ranks first as JUST's influential faculty? with 640 publications and 110,777 citations. Factors contributing to higher incidence rate for citations include years since publication, indexing in Scopus and WoS, reviews, publication in open-access journals, and collaboration. Network analysis revealed significant clusters of authors and keywords, with strong connections to the United States and Saudi Arabia. Conclusion: The productivity nd impact of JUST publications have improved annually for all faculties and departments. ?However, this improvement seems to be limited and can be explained by several factors. Further improvements in research productivity and impact are needed by implementing relevant strategies such as collaboration and interdisciplinary research, publishing in high-impact journals, considering open-access publishing, considering the potential societal impact of research, increasing visibility and reputation through appropriate affiliations, publishing review articles, and monitoring research output over time.