Al-Mukhtar Journal of Sciences (1992–2022): A Bibliometric Study

Abstract

The research paper presents a bibliometric analysis of the scholarly output of the Al-Mukhtar Journal of Sciences (Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Libya) for 1992-2022. The analysis covers the volume of publications, temporal distribution, language and topic distribution, authors' productivity, and patterns of authorship. A bibliometric methodology was employed using an organized Microsoft Excel database of 542 articles and 14 bibliometric indicators, supported by PivotTables. The Lotka law was used to assess the distribution of authors' output. It was researched on 55 issues (29 volumes) and 1,268 contributing authors. The results indicate a very high and sustained academic productivity (542 articles, on average 18.07, and a maximum of 49 articles a year). The highest share (43.4%) was in the agricultural sciences. The language of publications was Arabic (67.3%), with a significant increase in English publications (32.7%). The productivity of authors was well fitted by the Lotka Law (2.64; 0.96). It was found that collaborative authorship was high (72.88% of articles co-authored; 2.34 authors per paper on average). The publications were geographically concentrated in Al-Bayda (82.3%), particularly at Omar Al-Mukhtar University (71.4%). The paper highlights the journal's scholarly continuity despite situational difficulties and offers suggestions for improving its global presence.