title: Bibliometric analysis of rheumatology research in the Arab countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Arab world has seen an increase in the burden of musculoskeletal diseases. No bibliometric studies have characterized rheumatology research in the Arab world. This study evaluates the productivity and impact of rheumatology research in the Arab world.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched the Web of Science Core Collection for rheumatology publications, from 1976 to 2014, for each of the Arab League (AL) countries, North America, Europe and Asia. For the AL countries, the overall trend of publications and citations was analyzed, while considering the paper type and collaborations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The AL countries published 944 rheumatology papers over the period studied. The number of publications increased by a factor of 2.77 (95 % CI, 2.75-2.78) each decade, and citations increased by a factor of 2.36 (95 % CI, 0.96-5.82). The absolute number of papers included in the top-10 rheumatology journals remained constant but the proportion decreased. Papers involving collaboration among AL countries were found to increase over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the AL countries lag in research productivity and impact compared to other regions. Three countries are responsible for the majority of publications, while four countries receive the majority of citations.
authors: Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Education City, Al-Luqta Street, P.O.Box 24144, Doha, Qatar.
authors: Karim
authors: K
authors: Bayoumy
authors: Distributed eLibrary, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Education City, Al-Luqta Street, P.O.Box 24144, Doha, Qatar.
authors: Ross
authors: R
authors: MacDonald
authors: Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Biomathematics Research Core, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Education City, Al-Luqta Street, P.O.Box 24144, Doha, Qatar.
authors: Soha Roger
authors: SR
authors: Dargham
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Education City, Al-Luqta Street, P.O.Box 24144, Doha, Qatar. tha2002@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors: Thurayya
authors: T
authors: Arayssi
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D035843:Biomedical Research; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D055811:Journal Impact Factor; D008877:Middle East; D011642:Publications; D012219:Rheumatology
keywords: Arab countries; Bibliometrics; Rheumatology; Scientometrics; Web of Science