Ajman, United Arab Emirates, Dec 5th, 2021:  Research output at Ajman University (AU), both in terms of the quality and quantity of research papers has shown phenomenal growth over the last four years from 2017 to 2021. This is evidenced from the impressive increase in Scopus indexed research papers produced by AU faculty and the increase in the number of citations received by AU papers. AU has also successfully diversified its research across academic streams and increased research collaborations and ties with leading high-ranked universities, regionally and globally. 

Scopus-indexed Research Papers
Scopus indexed research papers published by Ajman University authors increased from just 38 in 2017 to 500+ in 2021, an incredible rise of more than 1500% over these years. 

Scopus is one of the largest, most reputable abstract and citation databases for academic literature. It contains over 40,000 titles from more than 10,000 international publishers, covering various formats including books, journals, conference papers, etc. Nearly 35,000 of these publications are peer-reviewed. 
Publishing a research paper in a Scopus-indexed journal indicates that the paper has met the stringent integrity, quality and originality of research criteria that the leading database in the world has become synonymous with. 

Citations
Increase in the number of citations received for research papers by Ajman University has also shown a highly positive trend, growing by more than 100% between 2017-2021. In 2017, Scopus indexed research papers by AU faculty received 1685 citations, which increased to 3680 in 2021. 

Diversification of Research
Between 2017-21, Ajman University also focussed its efforts on increasing the diversity of research output, by producing research papers across all academic streams including social sciences, business, mathematics etc. Traditionally, computer science, engineering and medicine have dominated research output, but that trend is gradually changing with other streams starting to produce research papers. 

International Research Collaborations
One of the key factors in the increase in output and quality of research at AU has been our successful international collaborations with academics at leading international universities. Some of the leading high ranked universities that AU faculy collaborated and produced joint research papres in the past few years include The London School of Economics & Political Science; University of Glasgow; Yale School of Public Health; The University of Queensland in Australia; University College London and the University of Bradford among numerous other leading universities across the globe.

From a geographical spread perspective, AU had the most research collaborations with leading universities in Jordan (13%), followed by India (12%), Saudi Arabia (11%), UK & Pakistan (9% each), Malaysia (8%), Egypt (7%) and the United States of America (6%).

“The impressive growth in research papers and the quality of research, as evidenced from the Scopus data, demonstrates Ajman University’s steadfast commitment to improving its research output. We aim to be one of the leading research universities in the Middle East and globally, contributing to the UAE’s vision to achieve the highest scientific and professional education standards in higher education,” said Dr. Karim Seghir, Chancellor of Ajman University.