The publication status and general quality of internationally published articles by Iranian nursing scholars

Background and Purpose: One of the most reliable methods to evaluate the scientific status of nursing is the assessment of the trend and quality of related articles. This study aimed to determine the publication status and general quality of articles published by Iranian nursing scholars engaged in different nursing and midwifery schools in well-known international journals during 2000-2011. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using scientometric methods and data obtained from Scopus database. The search for articles was performed using keywords such as Iran and nursing, and 886 articles were found dating from 2000 to 2011, 697 of which were authored by Iranian nursing scholars. Data collection was performed using checklists, and the validity of the checklists was determined using content validity. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics (frequency and mean) and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient in SPSS V.16. Results: Publication of international articles written by Iranian nursing scholars has been on a rising trend, increasing from only 3 articles in 2000 to 238 articles in 2011. Mean of Scopus article citation counts was 2.9±5.1, while the mean of related journal impact factor was 0.97±0.62. Regarding the number of articles, as well as the citation counts, the highest-ranking nursing and midwifery schools were Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, respectively. Based on citation index, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Tarbiat Modares University were the leading nursing schools in terms of article publication. Conclusion: Despite the increasing publication rate of articles by Iranian nursing scholars in popular international journals in recent years, there has been no significant improvements in the quality of these articles. According to the findings of this study, there is a noticeable gap in the quantity and quality of the scientific products by Iranian nursing community. Therefore, new policies are required as to enhance the quality and quantity of the articles published in the field of nursing and midwifery.