“A Fever of Research”: Scientific Journal Article Production and the Emergence of a National Research System in Qatar, 1980–2011
ISBN: 978-1-78714-470-5, eISBN: 978-1-78714-469-9
Publication date: 1 September 2017
Abstract
Purpose
Although its contributions to global science date from 1980, Qatar embarked on an ambitious plan in 2009 to position itself as an important hub for global research production. This paper assesses Qatar’s contribution over the past three decades to global research output and science productivity in STEM+ fields, as measured by scientific journal article production.
Design
The core of the analysis is based on a specially coded dataset of all peer-reviewed journal articles in the STEM+ disciplines with at least one author whose primary affiliation was a Qatar-based research organization. The original data source is Thomson Reuters’ Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). Analyzing trends between 1980 (the first year in which a paper with a Qatar-based author appeared in these selected leading journals) and 2011, the chapter documents how scientific journal article production in Qatar has developed over three decades.
Findings
Between 1980 and 2002, rates of journal article production were relatively low. From 2003, reflecting considerable investments in higher education and research, the annual number of journal article publications increased dramatically. Most publications were authored by university-based scientists (58%) and scientists based at research hospitals or other medical research facilities (30%). By 2011, over 83% of scientific journal articles published with at least one Qatar-based author were the result of collaboration with international partners. European, North American, and Middle Eastern research scientists and organizations were the most common international collaborators.
Originality/value
This is the first comprehensive empirical study of Qatar’s contributions to global scientific production in the STEM+ disciplines.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
The research reported in this chapter was made possible by NPRP grant #5-1021-5-159 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The findings reported here are solely the responsibility of the author. I am grateful for the expert assistance of Seungwan Nam, who prepared, checked, and cleaned the data for the figures and tables.
Citation
Crist, J.T. (2017), "“A Fever of Research”: Scientific Journal Article Production and the Emergence of a National Research System in Qatar, 1980–2011", The Century of Science (International Perspectives on Education and Society, Vol. 33), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 227-248. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-367920170000033011
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017 Emerald Publishing Limited