Scientific Products of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in Scopus Database

Introduction: Today, in the era of information, the main parameter for scientific assessment of countries, and academic centers is their contributions to the development of science and technology. This study was conducted to evaluate scientific outcomes of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences and its faculty members until the end of July 2014. Methods: In a descriptive study on bibliographic information, all documents affiliated to Ardabil University of Medical Sciences (280 essays) in Scopus database were collected. Then, the contribution to academic production was evaluated through the number of citations to each document, type of authorship according to first or corresponding author, H-index, target journal, and collaboration with other institutes. Results: Ardabil University of Medical Sciences was illustrated with 3 addresses which contained 280 essays. The number of essays had increased from 1 in 2000 to 56 in 2013. Most essays and the most cited papers were published in 2013. The highest number of the essays were original articles (n = 45) and lowest number were editorial letters (n = 1). The H-index of the university was equal to 19 at the end of July 2014. Conclusion: The increase in the number of essays from 2000 to 2013 shows the increase in scientific outcomes in Scopus database. Despite the high growth in scientific outcome during the studied period, the rank of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences among other institutions and universities affiliated to the Iranian Ministry of Health is not desirable. Thus, it seems that the greater attention of university authorities is necessary to increase the level of scientific production