Nursing research in the Arab Region: A bibliometric analysis.

AIMS: Scientific discovery in general, and nursing research specifically, is an increasingly global effort consistent with changing demographics and the need to provide culturally competent care in a diverse society. Given that Arabs account for an increasing proportion of the populations in many Western countries, this study presents findings from the first bibliometric analysis of nursing research conducted through December 2017 in the Arab region.

METHODS: We used quantitative and qualitative indicators to analyse bibliometric data from Scopus.

RESULTS: We provided significant data on Arab nursing publication output and growth trends; types of published documents; publication geographic loci, focus, and subject categories; authors' collaboration patterns; core publishing journals and their impact; and citation patterns.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlighted the need for Arab policy makers and funding agencies to allocate research funding that supports the dissemination of Arab nursing research into the broader scientific community so that Western researchers, policymakers, and health care providers can appropriately address the health care needs of Arab individuals and families. The insights gleaned regarding the performance of journals, authors, countries, and institutions are discussed in relation to the potential impacts of the publish-or-perish culture of the current academic world.