Nanoscience and nanotechnology publication mapping in the Iranian ISI: a citation analysis method

• Roya Baradarjk

  English

  Author

• Mansour Musavi

  English

  Author

An in-depth citation analysis research was carried out to shed light on the
multidisciplinary linkages of Iranian ISI publications on nanoscience and
nanotechnology (N&N) and to map out its pattern of growth. Starting with 1 article
in 1995 (with 26 citations), the trend of publications increases to 94 papers in
2007 (with 2425 citations). When it comes to the influence on N&N citations,
journal articles are at the top with about 90%. References to books published after
2003 show how N&N has changed. As of the end of 2007, N&N's foundations were
built upon fourteen distinct topic areas that included twenty-five specialties. With
48.5% of all citations, manufacturing and transport engineering is the leading
topic area in N&N. Physical sciences come in at 15%, chemical sciences at 14.7%,
and nano at 13.3%. On the other hand, the top three fields are materials
engineering (16.48%), metallurgy (28.01%), and physics (17.33%). The results
show a lot of variation, with quite substantial standard deviations on the whole.
N&N in Iran encompasses a wide range of disciplines, however due to the ever-
changing nature of nanotechnology, funding is becoming available. The entry of
new nano sources into other domains is, after all, inevitable. Put simply, it seems
like there is a two-way street when it comes to the connections between N&N and
other fields. The confluence of fundamental sciences (chemistry and physics) and
engineering (materials engineering and metallurgy) has the greatest influence on
the fundamental elements of N&N in Iran, while the applied aspects are also
greatly affected by this convergence.

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