Research Productivity, Citation Impact, and Collaboration Patterns of Public-Sector Universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: A Bibliometric Analysis (2015–2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v4i2.2250Keywords:
Research productivity, Bibliometric analysis, Citation impact, Collaboration networks Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanAbstract
Research productivity and impact are increasingly used as measures of performance of higher education institutions; however, there is still limited evidence at the provincial level in developing countries. This study presents an extensive analysis of the research output of universities, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan, during the period 2015-2024. Using data recovered from the Scopus database, the study looks at publication trends, citation impact, institutional and author productivity, disciplinary distribution, highly cited publications and collaboration. The results show a high growth of research outputs in universities, which is part of wider national reforms of higher education. Nevertheless, the productivity of research and the impact of citations is still unevenly distributed, with a few well-established institutions contributing a disproportionate number of publications as well as citations and collaborative link strength. Citation analysis shows that internationally affiliated publications and old cohorts of output are more visible compared to recent publications with lower average citation, partly due to citation time-lag effects. Disciplinary analysis reveals the advantages of science, engineering and health-related content areas over social sciences and the humanities. Collaboration network analysis shows that international and inter-institutional collaborations play a key role in increasing research visibility and impact. Overall, the study offers new insights at a provincial level about the performance of research in Pakistan and emphasizes the need for balanced capacity development, strategic collaboration and evaluation parameters normalized by the field. The findings provide evidence-based advice for policy makers and institutional heads trying to develop stronger research ecosystems in KP and other developing settings.
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